Hosts Hong Kong made a solid comeback in the tournament after they defeated New Zealand in their second fixture on Day 1
England were stunned by Nepal after the Asian side clinched a win by 6 wickets
1st November, 2024: The Hong Kong Sixes 2024 started off with a bang at the Tin Kwong Road Cricket Ground as Day 1 of the tournament saw fireworks being unleashed from the batters.
The tournament opener between the hosts Hong Kong and South Africa turned out to be a proper entertainer as both sides put up an aggressive show with the bat.
Batting first, the home side posted a massive 92/0 in 6 overs with Zeeshan Ali remaining unbeaten at 38 off 18 and skipper Nizakat Khan scoring 45* off 18. The South African batters replied in perfect manner and chased down the target with 3 wickets to spare in just 4.4 overs.
Jacques Snyman struck 27 off 10 while captain JJ Smuts chipped in with 21 off 9. Modiri Litheko scored 12 off 4 and the rest of the job was done by Evan Jones (20* off 5) and Aubrey Swanepoel (10* off 2).
Benny Paras scalped a couple of wickets for Hong Kong while Ehsan Khan also picked up one.
Captain JJ Smuts, who was also adjudged the Player of the match, expressed delight on the win, saying, “It’s a perfect start of us and couldn’t have asked for anything more and I hope we continue to play like this.”
Nepal faced England in the second fixture of the day. The Asian side stunned everyone as they clinched a 6-wicket win after chasing down a target of 98 in just 4.2 overs.
Captain and wicket-keeper batter Sundeep Jora was the architect of this win for Nepal as he struck a fifty in just 12 deliveries before retiring. Opener Lokesh Bam (20* off 11) and Rashid Khan (21* off 5) later took the side home in a convincing manner.
Earlier, batting first, England lost Alex Davies for a first ball-zero but experienced campaigners Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel provided the resistance with a partnership of 60 runs. Bopara scored 49 off 12 balls. Patel, on the other side, made a contribution of 39 off 17 as England eventually put up 97/6 in 5.5 overs.
Pratish GC got three wickets for Nepal while Narayan Joshi, Lokesh Bam and Bibek Yadav picked up one apiece.
In another run feast, Pakistan stole a win against UAE by 13 runs. Batting first, the Faheem Ashram-led side posted 128/0 in 6 overs. Openers Muhammad Akhlaq and Asif Ali notched up individual fifties before retiring. While Akhlaq scored 52 off 15, Asif chipped in with 50 off 14.
In reply, UAE went after the target in an emphatic manner, riding on a brisk knock from Muhammad Zuhaib who ended up getting 53 off 14.
But it was Asif Ali’s final over of the innings that changed the course of the game as he just gave away 6 runs and scalped a couple of wickets for Pakistan. Aamer Yamin also picked up two wickets for the team.
The fourth encounter of the day saw Sri Lanka taking away an easy win against Oman by 4 wickets. Oman put up 80/2 in 6 overs after captain Vinayak Shukla scored 50 off 18 before getting retired.
Dhananjaya Lakshan and Lahiru Madushanka picked up one wicket each for Sri Lanka. Later, the Lankan lions hunt down the target in 4.1 overs. Sandun Weerakkody top-scored with 28 off 7 for the side.
Hong Kong made a solid comeback in the competition after defeating New Zealand in the fifth match of the day. The home team scored a mammoth 127/4 in 6 overs, courtesy a 16-ball 62 from captain Nizakat Khan and Sahal Malvernkar’s 51* off 20.
Later, bowlers did the job for Hong Kong and restricted the Kiwis to 100/4 to win the match by 27 runs.
Skipper Nizakat Khan lauded his teammates for executing the plans and holding their nerves at crucial junctures.
“I’m very thankful to the almighty for this victory. Very proud of the boys for the way they have held their nerves. We executed our plans well and delivered in our second game,” he said.
Don’t miss a moment of the action! Tune in to Star Sports and Fancode to catch all the thrilling matches of the Hong Kong Sixes 2024, featuring 12 teams competing for glory. Join us as we celebrate cricket in its most exciting form! The broadcast begins at 8:15 AM (Hong Kong Time) and 5:45 AM (IST).