DUBAI - Pakistan proved too good for Hong Kong on Monday, beating the minnows by 64 runs in Dubai in a Twenty20 warm-up for their three-match series against England starting this week.
Pakistan rode on a brilliant 38-ball 55 from wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan who smashed two sixes and five boundaries in the match played at the International Cricket Council academy. All-rounder Amir Yamin struck three sixes in his 13-ball 27 while Sohaib Maqsood and opener Rafatullah Mohmand chipped in with 25 each. For Hong Kong, paceman Haseeb Amhad was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-38.
Hong Kong, who have qualified for the World Twenty20 to be held in India in March and April, could not cope with the spin of Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi (2-21) and Bilal Asif (2-13) and were bowled out for 103 in 17.1 overs. Mark Chapman fought the lone battle for Hong Kong with a 39-ball 50 studded with two sixes and five boundaries.
England will play the United Arab Emirates in a warm-up Twenty20 match in Abu Dhabi later on Monday. Pakistan and England will play Twenty20 internationals in Dubai (November 26 and 27) and in Sharjah (November 30).
Scoreboard
PAKISTAN:
Rafatullah c Waqas b Tanwir Afzal 25
Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Haseeb Amjad 0
Sohaib c Nadeem b Anshuman Rath 25
Umar Akmal c Carter b Aizaz Khan 10
Rizwan not out 55
Afridi c Babar b Anshuman Rath 5
Aamer Yamin lbw b Haseeb Amjad 27
Anwar Ali c Babar b Haseeb Amjad 16
EXTRAS: (lb 2, w 2) 4
TOTAL: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 167
FOW: 1-0, 2-35, 3-53, 4-82, 5-88, 6-138, 7-167.
BOWLING: Tanwir Afzal 4-1-25-1, Haseeb Amjad 4-0-38-3, Aizaz Khan 4-0-32-1, Nadeem Ahmed 4-0-40-0, Anshuman Rath 4-0-30-2.
HONG KONG:
Anshuman Rath run out 18
Waqas Barkat c Rizwan b Sohail Tanvir 2
Babar Hayat c Sohaib b Aamer Yamin 6
MS Chapman c Anwar Ali b Afridi 50
Nizakat Khan run out 1
Tanwir Afzal st M Rizwan b Bilal Asif 1
Waqas Khan c Shehzad b Imran Khan 10
Aizaz Khan c Afridi b Bilal Asif 2
C Carter b Shahid Afridi 1
Haseeb Amjad run out 0
Nadeem Ahmed not out 7
EXTRAS: (b 1, lb 1, w 2, nb 1) 5
TOTAL: (all out; 17.1 overs) 103
FOW: 1-4, 2-11, 3-63, 4-75, 5-78, 6-82, 7-90, 8-91, 9-91, 10-103.
BOWLING: Aamer Yamin 4-0-29-1, Sohail Tanvir 2-0-8-1, Anwar Ali 2-0-9-0, Imran Khan (1) 3.1-0-21-1, Bilal Asif 3-0-13-2, Shahid Afridi 3-0-21-2.
TOSS: Pakistanis
UMPIRES: Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza
MATCH REFEREE: Razzak Ali
RESERVE UMPIRE: Akbar Khan