The Asia Cup 2022 qualifiers came to an end as Hong Kong became the final team to join the roster. The Hong Kong cricket team have now become the sixth team in the Asia Cup 2022 and will join continental giants India and Pakistan in Group A.

Hong Kong defeated United Arab Emirates (UAE) on August 24 by eight wickets to qualify for the continental tournament. Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan won the toss and chose to bowl first. They bowled UAE out for 147 in 19.3 overs, before successfully chasing the target by the loss of only two wickets in 19 overs.

Also Read: Watch: Babar Azam and Virat Kohli exchange greetings before crunch Asia Cup tie

Ehsan Khan and Ayush Shukla were Hong Kong’s best bowlers as the duo claimed four and three wickets respectively. Aizaz Khan and Yasim Murtaza also dismissed two and one wicket respectively.

Meanwhile, UAE captain CP Rizwan came close to scoring a half-century but fell short of only one run as he scored 49 off 44 balls. Zawar Farid also scored 41 runs off 27 balls, helping UAE to reach the 147-run mark. Both batters were sent back to the pavilion by Ehsan Khan.

Hong Kong openers Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza scored 39 and 58 runs respectively before Babar Hayat (38*) and Kinchit Shah (6*) led the team to victory and qualification for the Asia Cup 2022.

The Asia Cup will begin on August 27, when Sri Lanka faces Afghanistan in the opening match in Group B. On the next day, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in arguably the most high-profile match in the tournament. Hong Kong will have to face both India and Pakistan in the tournament as they have now joined Group A.

Also Read: Thousand day drought: Experts dissect Virat Kohli’s batting woes

Hong Kong will begin their Asia Cup 2022 campaign when they face India on August 31 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Lineups:

UAE: Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind(w), Chundangapoyil Rizwan(captain), Aryan Lakra, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Sultan Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Kashif Daud, Junaid Siddique

Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan(captain), Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie(w), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla