The race to grab the one remaining spot for the main event started in Oman with Hong Kong claimed the victory in the first game after outlasting Singapore by 8 runs at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Stadium.
Hong Kong bowlers did a great job and defended the 149-run target assist their team win the opening game of the qualifier round of Asia Cup 2022 and boost their chances of making it to the main competition, which begins on August 27.
Asia Cup qualifiers 2022: Hong Kong Vs Singapore Match Highlights
Invited to bat first, Hong Kong faced a heart breaking start as they lost their captain Nizakat Khan for duck and Babar Hayat too before crossing the double-digit mark.
Yasim Murtaza and KD Shah then steadied their ship by adding 65 runs for the third wicket, but as soon as Shah walked back to pavilion after scoring 34, team faced a collapse as they lost their 4 batters in quick sucession, including set Murtaza.
It was Haroon Arshad (27* off 15) who then rescued the team and guide them to respectable score as Hong Kong posted 148 for 9 in their 20-over quota.
Chasing a target of 149, Singapore started off well and were there in the game till the 13.5 overs, when they had seven wickets in hand and required 51 off 37 to win the match.
However, just after losing Janak Prakash (31), they lost the momentum and their run-rate fell down that later cost them the game and Singapore witnessed a 8-run defeat in the first match of Asia Cup qualifiers 2022.
Ehsan Khan was the pick of the bowler for Hong Kong who ended his 4-over spell at 4-20-3, and later received the player of the match award for his impressive performance.
Asia Cup 2022 Details
The Asia Cup 2022 will include a total of six teams, with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh being the confirmed five teams. The team that wins the qualifying round will receive the sixth and final ticket.
The first match of the 15th edition of Asia Cup 2022 will be played between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on Saturday, August 27 at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE.
