DUBAI: Former champions Pakistan thrashed an inexperienced Hong Kong side by eight wickets in a one-sided match to open their Asia Cup campaign in style on Sunday.

Pakistan’s bowling attack was too hot to handle for Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as the left-arm speedster Usman Khan Shinwari finished with 3-19 and Hasan Ali took 2-19, while leg-spinner Shadab Khan managed 2-31 to bowl Hong Kong out for 116 in 37.1 overs.

Pakistan then completed the chase comfortably for the loss of opener Fakhar Zaman (24) and Babar Azam (33), while Imam-ul-Haq finished on 50 not out after just 23.4 overs.

Fakhar was caught at the wicket by Manchester-born wicket-keeper Scott McKechnie off spinner Ehsan Khan with the score on while Babar also fell to the same combination after having hit three fours and one six. Imam’s 69-ball innings also contained one six.

Imam reached his half century with a third boundary just before Malik struck the winning runs — a four — off Aizaz Khan.

It proved another cakewalk for Pakistan, like their two previous victories against Hong Kong, by 173 runs in the 2004 Asia Cup in Colombo and by 155 in Karachi four years later.

This was a perfect warm-up for Pakistan ahead of their high-profile showdown with arch-rivals India, also in Dubai on Wednesday.

Hong Kong struggled after captain Anshuman Rath won the toss and chose to bat in the Group ‘A’ opener.

Top-scorer Aizaz Khan (27) and Kinchit Shah (26) fought valiantly during their sixth-wicket stand of 53 runs to offer some respite after Hong Kong were left reeling at 44-5.

Rath (19) and Nizakat Khan (13) were the only others to enter double figures.

Bangladesh thumped Sri Lanka by 137 runs in the first Group ‘B’ match on Saturday, while Afghanistan will take on Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Four stage, with the top two from that table contesting the Sept 28 final in Dubai.

Scoreboard

HONG KONG:

Nizakat Khan run out 13
Anshuman Rath c Sarfraz b Faheem 19
Babar Hayat st Sarfraz b Shadab 7
C. Carter c Imam b Hasan 2
K.D. Shah c Shadab b Hasan 26
Ehsan Khan lbw b Shadab 0
Aizaz Khan b Usman 27
S.S. McKechnie lbw b Usman 0
Tanwir Afzal b Usman 0
Ehsan Nawaz run out 9
Nadeem Ahmed not out 9

EXTRAS (W-4) 4

TOTAL (all out, 37 overs) 116

FALL OF WKTS: 1-17, 2-32, 3-39, 4-44, 5-44, 6-97, 7-97, 8-97, 9-99.

BOWLING: Mohammad Amir 7-1-20-0; Usman Khan Shinwari 7.3-1-19-3 (1w); Faheem Ashraf 4-0-10-1 (1w); Hasan Ali 7-0-19-2; Shadab Khan 8-1-31-2 (1w); Shoaib Malik 3-0-17-0; Fakhar Zaman 0.3-0-0-0.

PAKISTAN:

Imam-ul-Haq not out 50
Fakhar Zaman c McKechnie b Ehsan Khan 24
Babar Azam c McKechnie b Ehsan Khan 33
Shoaib Malik not out 9

EXTRAS (W-3, NB-1) 4

TOTAL (for two wkts, 24.4 overs) 120

FALL OF WKTS: 1-41, 2-93.

DID NOT BAT: Sarfraz Ahmed, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Usman Khan Shinwari.

BOWLING: Tanwir Afzal 4-2-13-0 (1w); Ehsan Nawaz 4-0-27-0 (1nb, 1w); Aizaz Khan 3.4-0-19-0; Ehsan Khan 8-0-34-2 (1w); Nadeem Ahmed 4-0-27-0.RESULT: Pakistan won by eight wickets.

UMPIRES: S. George (South Africa) and Ahmad Shah Pakteen (Afghanistan).

TV UMPIRE: R.J. Tucker (Australia).

MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Usman Khan Shinwari.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2018