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It’s been a short tournament full of twists and turns in the Asia Cup 2022. Surprisingly, Afghanistan became the first team to reserve a spot in the super-four, leaving Bangladesh and Sri Lanka both in a tricky situation. In the other group, It was India who won both their matches to make it to the next round. We have four teams now – two from each group, fighting hard to get the two remaining spots.
In the last game of the competition, Hong Kong will be taking on Pakistan in what would be a virtual knockout for both these sides. The winner will sail through to the next round whereas the losing team will fly home. Pakistan is certainly the favorite in the game but as we have seen in the tournament already, Hong Kong does pack a punch and will not be easy to deal with.
The two sides are all set to meet on 2nd September 2022 at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, Sharjah. There’s a lot at stake and both sides are expected to come out hard at each other. Expect this to be an action-filled match.
PAK VS HKG TEAM PREVIEWS
PAKISTAN
With a heart-wrenching last-over loss against India, Pakistan would be gutted with the way they performed in their opening contest. They did well with the ball in the second half but the total they scored just wasn’t enough to provide any comfort to the bowlers. They have the needed expertise to get past even the best in the business but have lacked execution skills. Even though this upcoming match is against Hong Kong, they would still want to register a win here.
On paper, Pakistan has a remarkably good opening pair that is not backed up by a middle-order as good. The pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam has done incredibly well over the last year and a lot will depend on how their opening pair does. While Pakistan has some talented young players in the middle, they are known to collapse as a team in crunch situations. Asif Ali has not yet done justice to his talent and this tournament and the ones to follow are where he would want to make a mark.
As has always been the case, Pakistan’s strength lies with its bowling. Despite not having Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan has a bowling attack that is right up there. Naseem Shah, despite being a debutant, bowled exceedingly well in the first match.
HONG KONG
With a splendid run in the qualifiers and then fighting hard against India in the opening contest, Hong Kong has certainly surprised one and all with their skills, grit, and determination. They would need to execute things better under pressure as that could be a turning point in this upcoming match.
Against India, Hong Kong was pretty good for a decent stretch in the match but lost control when it mattered the most. They bowled well in the first fifteen overs and batted pretty well too. While they ended up way short of the total they needed to score, they did an excellent job to stay in the hunt for a decent time in the match.
On paper, Hong Kong is a bit over-reliant on only a few players and that can hurt them against Pakistan. Their top three have been brilliant thus far and a lot will depend on how they do. As seen against India, they have a little fragile bowling attack that might break when put under the pump. They are a capable side and can beat Pakistan but unless they play out of their skins, it is going to be incredibly difficult.
PITCH REPORT
The pitch is expected to provide a lot of support to the batters, however, spinners might also find a decent amount of help. In the first game here between Afghanistan and Bangladesh, spinners picked eight out of ten wickets in total including both innings.
Match Prediction:
Pakistan is predicted to win this match.
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