Asia Cup: Pakistan register easy victory over Hong Kong

Pakistan began their Asia Cup 2018 campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Hong Kong by eight wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing a modest target of 117, Pakistan reached 120/2 in just 23.4 overs, with opener Imam-ul-Haq remaining unbeaten on 50. The comfortable victory gave Pakistan a strong start to their tournament campaign.

Pakistan lost their first wicket for 41 runs when Fakhar Zaman edged a delivery from Ehsan Khan through to wicketkeeper Scott McKechnie in the ninth over.

Imam then joined Babar Azam and the pair steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership for the second wicket. Babar scored a fluent 33 before Ehsan struck again in the 21st over, leaving Pakistan at 93/2.

Shoaib Malik, unbeaten on nine, joined Imam and the duo calmly completed the chase, scoring the remaining 24 runs without further damage.

Earlier, Hong Kong struggled to build momentum after being asked to bat first. Pakistan's bowlers kept taking wickets at regular intervals and dismissed the opposition for 116 in 37.1 overs.

Aizaz Khan top-scored for Hong Kong with 27, while K.D. Shah contributed 26. The rest of the batting line-up failed to establish a substantial partnership against a disciplined Pakistani attack.

Left-arm pacer Usman Khan was the standout bowler for Pakistan, claiming three wickets for just 19 runs. Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan picked up two wickets each to keep Hong Kong under constant pressure.

Pakistan's convincing win was built on a disciplined bowling effort followed by a composed chase, while Hong Kong will need significant improvement with both bat and ball in their upcoming matches.

Brief scores:

Pakistan: 120/2 in 23.4 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 50 not out, Babar Azam 33; Ehsan Khan 2/34) beat Hong Kong: 116 all out in 37.1 overs (Aizaz Khan 27, K.D. Shah 26; Usman Khan 3/19) by eight wickets.