Hong Kong to join India and Pak for Asia Cup after defeating UAE

MUSCAT: The battle to join Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in the Asia Cup 2022 is over. Hong Kong have qualified for Asia Cup 2022 with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates last night.

They maintained an unbeaten run in the Asia Cup Qualifier in Oman, winning all three matches. Hong Kong won the toss and chose to field.

UAE went on to score 147 runs, unable to bat out their 20 overs. Hong Kong went about their run chase with a clear plan, reaching their target in 19 overs.

Veteran star Ehsan Khan was named player of the match with his four-wicket haul, for just 24 runs.

The Hong Kong Captain in his post-match speech said he was elated to qualify and thanked their cricket board for all their support.

Nizakat Khan, Hong Kong Captain said, "I have no words to describe how I feel. I would like to thank Hong Cricket for all their support. Our process was the same, we knew we had to win all three games to qualify for Asia Cup and that is what we did. We took it game by game and the boys fought back really well. This is a big tournament to showcase our talent, and this is a great opportunity for everyone on this squad."

Chundangapoyil Puthiyapurayil Rizwan, UAE Captain said, "Our bowlers went for a lot of runs, we could say this was because of the dew as the ball was coming nicely onto the bat. So, there is a lot to be learnt and we will learn from this experience and come back stronger."

Player of the Match: Ehsan Khan, Hong Kong said, "This is a proud moment for the Hong Kong team and for me as well. A big achievement for us. We stuck to the team plan, and we succeeded. I am targeting Virat Kohli in the Asia Cup because he is a great batsman. I will be playing in the Asia Cup for the second time and that is a big achievement for me."

Hong Kong will now face India on August 31 and Pakistan on September 2.

India will face Pakistan after a gap of nine months in a much-awaited contest on August 28.