Pakistan vs Hong Kong, Asia Cup 2022, Today Match Prediction 02 September 2022

pak vs hkg Match Prediction & Analysis

Pakistan would be fighting for their survival in the Asia Cup 2022 as they take on Hong Kong in the 6th game of the tournament. Pakistan started poorly losing against India in their opening game and loss here would be the end of the road for the side. Hong Kong comes here with a big loss against India, but the side did show sparks of brilliance.   

This will be the first game between the two sides. Pakistan is a strong team, and they have several experienced players in the squad. This should work well for the side against a relatively inexperienced side. Hong Kong surprised everyone to win the Qualifiers and the side would be hoping to draw inspiration from those performances.  

TEAMS PREVIEW

Pakistan Preview

Babar Azam would be upset with the loss against arch-rivals India. In a close game, the side went down by 5 wickets. It was their batting that let the side down in the last game. The top order failed to build partnerships and the side finished 20 runs short of what would have been a good score. This is a must-win game for the team and Azam would want his players to be clinical.  

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan shall have to set up a strong opening wicket stand in this game. Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Khushdil Shah failed to convert their starts against India and the team would need a better performance from them. The side has depth down the order and the likes of Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, and Haris Rauf shall need to add runs.  

They have a strong bowling attack, and the side would like to get early wickets from Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani in this game. Shadab is an experienced bowler, and he will have to do well in the middle overs with Haris Rauf. Mohammad Nawaz went for runs in the last game and he will look to come up with a better show.  

Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani

Pakistan Actual Playing XI:

Iftikhar Ahmed, Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan

Hong Kong Preview

Nizakat Khan’s suffered a 40-run loss against India in the last game. They allowed the Indians to put up a big total and lost their chances from there on. The side would have realized this is a different ball game from what they had experienced in the Qualifiers. Khan would want his players to stick to their basics and not be overwhelmed by the challenge.  

Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza went out cheaply in the last game and they have to set up a big opening wicket stand in this game. Babar Hayat is one of the most experienced players on the side and he would look to build partnerships with Kinchit Shah and Aizaz Khan in the middle order. Hong Kong would also expect to see a good show from the likes of Scott McKechnie and Zeeshan Ali down the order.   

Their bowlers would face a tough challenge after the poor show in the last game. The side would need early wickets from Ayush Shukla and Haroon Arshad. Aizaz Khan has done well in recent games, and he would need to stop the flow of runs in the middle overs with Mohammad Ghazanfar. Ehsan Khan and Murtaza must do well in the supporting role.

Hong Kong Predicted Playing XI:

Nizakat Khan (c), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla

Hong Kong Actual Playing XI:

Ehsan Khan, Kinchit Shah, Haroon Arshad, Nizakat Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Babar Hayat, Aizaz Khan, Yasim Murtaza, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Scott McKechnie

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

We would see a warm evening in Sharjah on September 2. The wicket is expected to be flat where we would see lots of runs. Batsmen are likely to enjoy the conditions with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. The side that bats first would have to target a score around the 180-run mark to win here.

Venue Details

Sharjah Cricket Stadium is a small ground and a high-scoring venue. The fast outfield helps batsmen score quick runs. There is absolutely nothing on this surface for the fast bowlers. Spinners have enjoyed a good record as they can turn the ball sharply and trouble the batsmen.

Toss: To Bowl

It is one of the best grounds in the world for chasing scores and in the last eight games the side batting first has won only once. Runs come thick and fast which makes it a big challenge to defend totals. Hence, the side winning the toss would have little hesitation in opting to bowl first and aim at putting up a big total on the board.