Hayat’s knock of 54 went in vain

Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani

Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the Asia Cup came to an end on Sunday as they lost to the United Arab Emirates by six wickets.

United Arab Emirates batsman Mohammad Shahzad starred in his side’s victory as he smashed a quickfire 52.

Opting to bat first, Hong Kong got off to a rocky start before Babar Hayat put his side in a solid position with his knock of 54, which came off 45 balls and included eight boundaries.

Thanks to Mark Chapman’s 29 and Nizakat Khan’s 28, Hong Kong managed to make 146/7 off their 20 overs.

Mohammad Naveed was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Amjad Javed snapped up two and Farhan Ahmed and Ahmed Raza chipped in with one wicket apiece.

Chasing 147 to win, the United Arab Emirates found themselves in trouble early on before Shahzad and Muhammad Usman steadied the ship with their 79-run partnership.

Chapman provided the breakthrough Hong Kong desperately needed as he dismissed Usman for 41, but Shahzad went on to make 52 off 39 balls, which included four boundaries and a six. As a result, the United Arab Emirates reached their target with nine balls to spare.

Chapman, Nadeem Ahmed, Aizaz Khan and captain Tanwir Afzal claimed one wicket each.