Asia Cup 2022 Qualifier: Hong Kong dominate Kuwait to emerge as table toppers

Match 4: Kuwait vs Hong Kong

Hong Kong gets over Kuwait to win the game by 8 wickets in the 4th match of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Chasing 152, Babar Hayat played a great knock of 53 off 30 deliveries and Yasim Murtaza got off to a great start in the powerplay and went on to score 46 off 33 deliveries. Skipper Nizakat Khan contributed with 50 runs. It was a comfortable chase for Hong Kong as the Kuwait bowlers unsurprisingly didn’t have a great day with the ball.

Earlier in the day, Kuwait batted first, they had a nightmare start losing continuous wickets. Late blitz of 56 off 30 deliveries from Edson Silva took Kuwait to a respectable total of 151/9. Yasim Murtaza was the pick of the bowlers picking 2 wickets for 11 runs and was also adjudged man of the match. Aizaz Khan and Ehsan Khan picked up 2 wickets each. Hong Kong outplayed Kuwait in all the departments winning the game by 8 wickets and 14 balls to spare.

Match 3: United Arab Emirates vs Singapore

The United Arab Emirates ended up on the winning side after beating Singapore by 47 runs in the 3rd match of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Chasing 161, Aritra Dutta got to an aggressive start in the powerplay and scored 42 off 29 balls. With his wicket Singapore were never really in the game. In the middle overs, UAE bowled well to pull the game back and increase the required run rate and also picked up wickets. Karthik Meiyappan and Junaid Siddique starred for the UAE picking up 3 wickets each.

Earlier, UAE batted first, opener Muhammad Waseem batted well scoring 58 off 34 deliveries showing great class and intent. He was the spearhead of UAE’s batting. With a useful contribution of 38 runs from Basil Hameed, UAE got to a decent total of 160/8. Janak Prakash contributed with ball picking 3 wickets and Vinoth Baskaran chipped in with 2 wickets for Singapore. An all-round performance from the UAE gave them a much needed victory.

Match 2: United Arab Emirates vs Kuwait

Kuwait made history by winning against the United Arab Emirates by 1 wicket in the 2nd game of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Chasing a target of 174, the openers gave a good start setting up the chase. Ravija Sandaruwan got 34 runs and Bhavsar contributed with 27 runs to his name. The lower middle order’s blitz took Kuwait to a memorable victory. Basil Hameed starred with 3 wickets for the UAE.

Earlier in the day, UAE batted first, experienced Chirag Suri led the pack with 88 runs which was significant in UAE’s huge total. He played shots all around the ground and never let the momentum down. His partner Muhammad Waseem at the other end supported with an aggressive 35. The top order counterattack took UAE to 173. Kuwait didn’t have their best days with the ball in hand. A combined team effort helped Kuwait beat the UAE by one wicket.

Match 1: Singapore vs Hong Kong

A great bowling display ensured Hong Kong an 8 run victory against Singapore in the first game of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. Chasing a total of 149, Singapore got to a great start in the powerplay courtesy Aritra Dutta’s aggressive knock of 29 from 16 deliveries. Janak Prakash played a handy knock of 31 off 32 deliveries. Although Hong Kong didn’t have a great day on the field, they really bowled economically and got wickets at regular intervals. Ehsan Khan was the pick of the bowlers picking up 3 wickets for just 20 runs. Mohammed Ghazanfar picked up 2 wickets for just 20 runs, which proved vital in the end.

Earlier in the day, Hong Kong was asked to bat first, they didn’t get to the greatest of starts as they lost two early wickets. Contributions from Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza and a cameo from Haroon Arshad took Hong Kong to a fighting total of 148. Singapore bowled really well and as Akshay Puri, Amjad Mahboob and Janak Prakash took 2 wickets each. A clinical bowling performance from Hong Kong helped them get their first points on the board as they won the game by 8 runs against Singapore