With a 155-run victory over Hong Kong—who were knocked out for 38, the lowest score against a Full Member in T20 internationals—Pakistan advanced to the Super 4s. After everything is said and done, it will seem ridiculous, but there were some anxious moments when Pakistan was sent in and got stuck against Hong Kong's slower bowlers on a slow, low pitch. But Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan correctly assessed the situation and guided Pakistan toward a secure total. They then, with some assistance from a Khushdil Shah onslaught, scored 129 in the final 10 overs and 77 in the final five to reach a far above-par total.
The skill of Pakistan's bowlers eventually proved to be too much for Hong Kong, since none of its batters could reach double digits. With their fast-paced spells, Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani set the tone before Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz combined for seven wickets in 4.4 overs to set up Pakistan's largest T20I victory. Additionally, this was Hong Kong's lowest total.
Pakistan off to a slow and steady start.
The approach taken by Hong Kong was the same as was against India, bowl at the stumps and offer the batters no pace with which to work. However, Pakistan was up against a team that didn't have much to lose and was in a must-win situation. Early on, it appeared that even 150 may be plenty for an assault as good as Pakistan's as Babar Azam fell in the third over and Rizwan struggled with timing, but you never know if two batters go for it and have a terrific day.
Rizwan and Fakhar didn't seem overly troubled. When the spinners were on, they enjoyed kicking the ball around. Every now and then, Fakhar tried to lead the attack, but the cleaver Yasim Murtaza kept him in check with his sluggish pace and mastery of length. Rizwan persisted in attempting to sweep but had trouble choosing the appropriate line. Halfway through the innings, neither Fakhar nor Rizwan were moving more quickly than a run per ball. Although there may have been some concerns with their strategy, they did not give up without a fight. The team bowled well despite the challenging conditions since they play their home cricket on low, sluggish surfaces.
The counter attack.
The Hong Kong batters never looked easy against mighty Pakistan bowling. They stayed deep in the crease to even fuller balls from the quicks, and looked to stay at leg side of the ball. The first wicket was a result of that: captain Nizakat Khan played a half hearted drive with his weight back, got no power into the shot and offered an easy catch off Naseem. Babar Hayat played three dots and slog at one to be bowled top of off stump. Dahani hurried Murtaza up with a quick short ball for a top-edge on the hook.
Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz blew away Hong Kong with their spin.
The powerplay ended at 25 for 3, but this was the beginning of trouble for Hong Kong . Their batters failed to pick Shadab's googlies, and he proceeded to have fun with them. Three of his four wickets were bowled off wrong'uns: the first one on the cut, the second behind the legs, and the third off a big slog. Nawaz didn't have to work hard either as the batters kept falling on the sweep. Zeeshan Ali tried to hit a six down the ground but found long-on. The end came as sweetly as the Shadab flipper to get No. 11 Ghazanfar lbw pad first.
Match Summary:
Pakistan 193 for 2 (Rizwan 78*, Fakhar 53*, Khushdil 35*, Ehsan 2-28) beat Hong Kong 38 (Shadab 4-8, Nawaz 3-5) by 155 runs.
Scorecard:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/1327274.html
