Asia Cup, the biggest cricket tournament in Asia, is going to start on August 27. Six teams will participate in this tournament. However, Hong Kong have qualified for the Asia Cup 2022 by defeating the United Arab Emirates at Al Amerat Cricket Ground. They will face India and Pakistan in Group A.
Match Report
The UAE welcomed Hong Kong to Oman to play the qualifier of the Asia Cup. Nizakat Khan, the captain of Hong Kong, won the toss and decided to bowl first in this crucial match. So, Muhammad Waseem and Chirag Suri came onto the pitch to start the innings for the United Arab Emirates.
But the two openers of the UAE couldn’t get a fair start as they lost their first wicket in the very first over. Opener Chirag Suri left the pitch in Ehsan Khan’s over. Muhammad Waseem, the other opener, looked comfortable on the crease. He tried to play aggressively from the start of the game. Unfortunately, the opener couldn’t go far. He departed the crease after scoring 18 off 8 balls.
But the UAE captain CP Rizwan tried hard to make a good score. He tackled the initial disaster. CP Rizwan scored the highest 49 runs, hitting four boundaries, before losing the wicket. In addition, Zawar Farid played a crucial role in the lower order. Since the start of his batting, Zawar Farid tried to hit every ball he faced. As a result, he scored 41 runs only from 27 balls. Relying on his bat, the UAE set a target of 148 runs for Hong Kong.
Chasing the target, the visitors had a flying start. Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza were brilliant from the start of the innings. They were also very aggressive on the pitch. Furthermore, both players added 85 runs in the opening partnership. But Basil Hameed brought a breakthrough for the UAE by taking the wicket of Nizakat Khan in the 11th over.
However, Yasim Murtaza continued picking runs with the new batter, Babar Hayat. Together they added 31 runs on the scoreboard. In the 17th over, Yasim Murtaza lost his wicket after scoring 58 runs. But Babar Hayat successfully chased the target with Kinchit Shah within 19 overs. Babar Hayat remained not out in 38 runs. As a result, Hong won the match by 8 wickets and secured a place in the Asia Cup.
