Hong Kong gave a mightier scare to the Men In Green in this quarter-final match at the Asian Games 2023. After being invited to bat first, Pakistan's batting could not weather storm as Hong Kong bowlers kept chipping in at regular intervals. Hong Kong's Ayush Shukla scalped four wickets as Pakistan were reeling at 76/3 at one time. But Aamer Jamal's 41 down the order got some stability as Pakistan reached a respectable 160. In reply, Hong Kong started brightly but had no answer to Pakistan's bowling attack as they were bundled out for 92. Get PAK vs HKG match highlights. (Scorecard | Streaming | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
2:52pm: Hong Kong All Out (92 All Out In 18.5 Overs)
Pakistan have won by bowling out Hong Kong for 92 runs and enter the semi-finals.
2:48pm: Hong Kong Require 70 Runs In 12 Balls (HKG 91/9 In 18 Overs)
Hong Kong require an improbable 70 runs in 2 overs against Pakistan.
2:24pm: Pakistan's Bowling Show Their Quality (HKG 61/6 In 12 Overs)
Pakistan's bowling show their supreme quality as Hong Kong batters collapse in a heap.
1:56pm: Hong Kong Lose Wickets Despite Solid Start (HKG 31/2 In 6 Overs)
Hong Kong have lost two wickets in their run-chase of 161 against Pakistan.
1:16pm: Pakistan All Out For 160 (PAK 160/10 In 20 Overs)
Pakistan end their innings with 160 runs on the board. Though they were bowled out in the end, Pakistan did manage to get the final flourish and put enough runs on the board, one would imagine.
12:51pm: Pak Cross 100-Run Mark (PAK 101/6 In 15 Overs)
Pakistan are not out of the woods yet, but have upped the tempo a bit. They will target a 150-plus score to feel safer.
12:30pm: Pakistan Kept Quiet (PAK 61/5 In 10 Overs)
Pakistan are still struggling, as Hong Kong have kept them quiet and also pegged away with two more wickets. They will need a strong effort from the lower-order to get to a respectable total.
11:48pm: Pakistan Rattled Early! (PAK 24/3 In 3.4 Overs)
Minnows Hong Kong have made three early breakthroughs, unsettling the Pakistani batting line-up. Can they dream of an upset here?
11:30am: Toss Update
Hong Kong won the toss and chose to field.
The last time Pakistan faced Hong Kong in a T20I cricket, it lasted 30.4 overs with the former recording their biggest win in terms of runs in the format. That was in September 2022, in an Asian Cup group stage match in Sharjah, UAE. One year later, the two teams will meet again, this time in the 2023 Asian Games men's cricket competition in Hangzhou, China. The odds remain the same, but the stakes are a lot bigger -- a place in the semi-finals.
Squads
Pakistan: Qasim Akram (c), Omair Yousuf, Aamer Jamal, Arafat Minhas, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Akhlaq, Rohail Nazir (wk), Mirza Tahir Baig, Arshad Iqbal, Mohammad Hasnain, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Sufiyan Muqeem
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (c), Muhammad Khan (wk), Babar Hayat, Shiv Mathur, Nasrulla Rana, Akbar Khan, Ehsan Khan, Anas Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Niaz Ali, Ayush Shukla, Hassan Khan Mohammad, Shahid Wasif, Adil Mehmood, Hamed Khan.
