Abbas Afridi's 55 off 13 Blitz Takes Pakistan Past Hong Kong in Hong Kong Sixes Plate Semifinal

HONG KONG: Pakistan beat hosts Hong Kong by one wicket in the Plate semifinal of the Hong Kong Sixes on Saturday, chasing down 107 with nine balls to spare. Hong Kong had made 106 for 3 in their allotted six overs, and Pakistan reached the target at 107 for 5 in 4.3 overs.

The chase was built almost entirely on an extraordinary innings from Abbas Afridi, who smashed 55 off just 13 balls, hitting three fours and seven sixes. Ten of his 13 deliveries went to the boundary, a scoring rate of roughly 423 that flattened the required rate of about 17.8 per over.

Hong Kong innings: fast start, capped at 106

Nizakat Khan gave the hosts a flying start with 38 off 10 balls, including one four and five sixes. Anshy Rath made 37 off 15 balls with four fours and three sixes, adding 75 with Nizakat. Nasrulla Rana struck an unbeaten-looking 16 off only three deliveries, all of them boundaries, while Babar Hayat made 12 off six balls with three fours. Yasim Murtaza was dismissed for a duck.

Hong Kong's 106 for 3 in six overs works out to about 17.67 runs per over. The named batters account for 103 of those runs; the remaining three came either from extras or from batters not named in the report.

Pakistan bowling

Irfan Khan took 2 wickets in 2 balls and Ahmed Daniyal took 1 wicket in 1 ball. In a six-over format, success is measured in wickets per ball, and two wickets in two deliveries is a remarkable return. That Hong Kong still batted out the full six overs and lost only three wickets shows they stuck to an aggressive approach rather than protecting their wickets.

The chase

Chasing 107 in 36 balls required almost 17.83 per over. Pakistan got there in 27 balls, meaning their actual scoring rate was around 23.78 an over, well above the ask.

Khawaja Nafay contributed 34 off 10 balls with two fours and four sixes, a strike rate of about 340. Abdul Samad made 17 off four balls with a four and two sixes. Together the three named batters faced all 27 balls and made 106; a single extra took the total to 107.

Five wickets down out of a six-player side means Pakistan were effectively on their last wicket when they completed the chase, which underlines how tight the match remained despite the speed of the finish.

Match in numbers

• Hong Kong: 106/3 in 6 overs
• Nizakat Khan 38 (10 balls)
• Anshy Rath 37 (15 balls)
• Nasrulla Rana 16 (3 balls)
• Babar Hayat 12 (6 balls)
• Yasim Murtaza 0
• Pakistan bowling: Irfan Khan 2 wickets, Ahmed Daniyal 1 wicket
• Pakistan: 107/5 in 4.3 overs
• Abbas Afridi 55 (13 balls)
• Khawaja Nafay 34 (10 balls)
• Abdul Samad 17 (4 balls)
• Result: Pakistan won by one wicket, nine balls remaining

Why Pakistan were in the Plate

Pakistan lost their opening group match to the UAE by a narrow margin, decided on the final ball. They responded with a convincing win over arch-rivals India, but the group was taken out of their hands when the UAE beat India to finish unbeaten at the top.

Under the tournament format, group winners go into the Cup, runners-up into the Plate and third-placed sides into the Bowl. That single narrow defeat was enough to push Pakistan off the Cup path.

Pakistan are the most successful side in Hong Kong Sixes history with six titles and arrived as defending champions, which makes a Plate semifinal an unfamiliar place for them. The Plate is now their only route to a trophy this week.

The final will see Pakistan take on Oman, who won their own semifinal. The date, time and venue of the Plate final have not yet been confirmed.

For Hong Kong, the loss is a frustrating one given the quality of their batting: Nizakat and Rath added 75 and kept the boundaries coming. But Pakistan had the answer in the form of a single, devastating innings.