The exciting action in the Asia Cup 2022 continues on Friday with an important fixture between Pakistan and Hong Kong in Group A. The game holds tremendous importance for both teams as the winner of the match will qualify for the ‘Super 4’ stage of the tournament while the loser will be eliminated.
Pakistan
Pakistan gave it all in their opening match against India but failed to emerge victorious. Their bowling was top-notch but their batting let them down. They will look to correct their mistakes from their first match and register an emphatic win over Hong Kong to progress to the next stage of the tournament.
Probable Playing XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani
Hong Kong
Hong Kong came into the tournament after winning the qualifiers round. In their opening match against India, they batted superbly and managed to reach a total of 152. They showed that they can compete with the big teams. The side just needs to learn to grab important phases and they will give any team a run for their money.
Probable Playing XI: Nizakat Khan (c), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar
Players to watch out for
Pakistan
Babar Azam – The Pakistan captain failed to fire in the match against India. He will look to go big against Hong Kong.
Mohammad Nawaz- The spinner picked up three wickets against India and looked threatening throughout the match. He will look to replicate his stupendous performance in the next game.
Fakhar Zaman – The southpaw failed to go big in the first match and will be eager to make amends for his dismal show in the opening game.
Hong Kong
Babar Hayat – The batter looked in good form against India, scoring 41 off 35 balls. He will look to continue his good form in the second match.
Ehsan Khan – The off-spinner did a tremendous job for his team in the qualifiers. He can turn out to be another surprise package from the team.
Ayush Shukla – The right-arm-medium bowler has the ability to deceive the batters. He can prove to be another lethal player in the team.
Pakistan vs Hong Kong Match Details
Asia Cup 6th Match, Group A, Pakistan vs Hong Kong
Venue- Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Date and Time – Friday, 2nd September 2022, 7:30 PM (IST)
Live Broadcast and Streaming – Star Sports Network and Disney + Hotstar
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sharjah is considered to be high scoring one. However, in the first match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the pitch assisted the spinners. The captain winning the toss might look to bowl first on this wicket.
