Pakistan or Hong Kong will see their competition come to an end on Friday. One loss can put any team under immediate strain because of the first round’s format. The aim is plain for the Associate and Full Members, now that India has gained the upper hand with victories over both opponents.
Thus, we have the T20I outside of the World Cup with something at stake that we frequently call for. On paper, it would seem like a mismatch, but among the largely context-free bilateral T20Is, it is uncommon to find a game with as much at stake as Pakistan’s Friday match against Hong Kong. Hong Kong will enjoy this game, but they’ll convince themselves that they could win it too.
Hong Kong will be aware that a knockout in the shortest format gives a great potential to pull off an unexpected victory, despite the fact that there is little historical or cricketing evidence to suggest that they could mount a credible challenge to a team with Pakistan’s firepower.
Even while their batting performance against India showed the threat the team may pose, their bowling failed them down. In contrast, Ayush Shukla, Ehsan Khan, and Yasim Murtaza held things tight, allowing just 82 runs in their combined 12 overs. Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, and Scott McKechnie provided the big hitting.
Read more: Virat Kohli Makes New Record
Pakistan has some confidence
Pakistan, though, might believe that this game somewhat favors them. Although Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan don’t start off well, the strategy they use is the same as what India used to defeat Hong Kong on Wednesday.
They batted cautiously to start their innings before the middle order destroyed the bowlers by scoring 98 runs in the final seven overs. While India’s strategy may have been geared to the competition they were up against, Pakistan already plays this way against almost every opponent, getting their huge runs in the final overs.
Kinchit Shah
Vice-captain of Hong Kong Kinchit Shah has recently experienced several remarkable events. The all-rounder played well in the Cricket World Cup Challenge Group and Asia Cup qualifiers, scoring fifty against Uganda and 139 against Bermuda, and taking four wickets against Kenya.
He scored 30 runs in 28 balls against India while being solid but not very explosive with the bat. Things have been nice both on and off the field. He popped the question to his girlfriend following the game against India. A victory over Pakistan and advancement to the next round would put an end to Kinchit’s idyllic personal and professional few days.
Hong Kong vs Pakistan Match Preview: Pitch and conditions
The condition is anticipated to be oppressively hot weather, and Friday in Sharjah won’t be any different. The slower bowlers have lately tended to do well here, although the narrow boundaries can also tempt the batsmen.
Read more: Sachin Tendulkar Will Return to Cricket As a Captain
About the Teams
Naseem Shah’s physical condition is under question. Mohammad Hasnain would be a like-for-like replacement in his absence.
Despite losing to India, Hong Kong’s performance, particularly with the bat, will have inspired them. Be prepared for the same Hong Kong team.
