Pakistan handed over a humiliating 155-run defeat to Hong Kong in the final group match that was held today and qualified for the super-4s. This means Pakistan will take on India once again on September 4 (Sunday) in its first Super-4 game.
After winning the toss Hong Kong chose to bowl first. It got a good start as Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam got out in the third over of the game. But the happiness didn’t last long because Mohammed Rizwan (78*) and Fakhar Zaman (53) made a partnership of 116 runs for the second wicket. In the process, they made their respective half-centuries as well. After Zaman’s dismissal, Khushdil Shah came and played a blistering cameo. His 15-ball-35 (0 fours and 5 sixes) helped Pak in scoring 193/2 in 20 overs.
Pak bowlers breathed fire on Hong Kong batters in the second innings. As a result, Hong Kong started losing wickets right from the beginning. Not a single batter scored double-digit runs in the innings. Eventually, Hong Kong got all-out for 38 runs in just 10.4 overs. Shadab Khan scalped four wickets (4/8), Mohammed Nawaz got three (3/5), Naseem Shah scalped two (2/7) and Shahnawaz Dahani got a wicket (1/7) for Pakistan.
After the completion of the group stage, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are the teams that qualified for the Super-4s.
