Hong Kong: Pakistan produced a breathtaking display of power-hitting to defeat arch-rivals India by four wickets in a high-scoring encounter at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 on Friday, chasing down a target of 89 in just 3.5 overs after restricting their opponents to 88/5 in six overs.
Captain Abbas Afridi led the charge with a blistering 35 off just eight deliveries, while Khawaja Nafay remained unbeaten on 41 off 12 balls to guide the defending champions to their first victory of the tournament. Abbas was named Player of the Match for his explosive contribution.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Pakistan initially struggled to contain Shashank Singh, whose 40 off just 11 deliveries kept India competitive despite the loss of wickets at regular intervals. India openers Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana started steadily, collecting 11 runs in the opening over. Muhammad Shahzad provided the breakthrough in the second over, dismissing Tripathi for nine off five balls.
Shashank then launched an immediate counterattack, smashing 16 runs off three deliveries to push India’s total to 22 in the over. Pakistan captain Abbas kept Rana in check during the third over, conceding 11 runs while bowling four dot balls. India reached 44/1 at the halfway stage, with Shashank beginning to take control of the innings. The right-hander accelerated further in the fourth over, plundering 24 runs with three sixes and a boundary.
Rana, however, struggled to match the scoring rate and was retired out in the fifth over after making 19 off 14 balls, bringing Rahul Tewatia to the crease.
Pakistan seized control when Abdul Samad dismissed Tewatia for a golden duck before removing India captain Krunal Pandya for another duck on the very next delivery. Abdul conceded just 10 runs in the over, leaving India at 78/4 with one over remaining. Shashank’s entertaining innings ended on the first ball of the final over when Ahmed Daniyal dismissed him. India added 12 runs from the remaining deliveries to finish at 88/5.
Pakistan’s response was emphatic from the outset. Abbas and Nafay launched a relentless assault on the Indian bowlers, with the captain smashing five consecutive sixes against Krunal to help Pakistan collect 31 runs in the opening over.
The onslaught continued against T. Natarajan in the second over, as Pakistan plundered another 28 runs to reach 73/1 after just two overs. India finally found a breakthrough when Shashank dismissed Abbas for 35, but the wicket did little to disrupt Pakistan’s momentum. Nafay continued to dominate the attack, striking two boundaries and five sixes during his unbeaten knock.
Irfan Khan struck the winning runs as Pakistan reached 91/2 in 3.5 overs, completing a commanding victory over their neighbours. The result has also intensified the qualification battle in Group C. India will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, with a victory potentially leaving all three teams level on points. In that scenario, the number of sixes hit will determine which team advances to the Cup category.
Pakistan currently lead the Group C sixes tally with 23 across two matches, followed by the UAE with 12 in one match and India with seven in one match.
(IANS)
