Irfan Ahmed leads the way for Hong Kong

Opener Irfan Ahmed's unbeaten 91 off 60 balls with 10 boundaries and two sixes helped Hong Kong beat Denmark by 35 runs in a Group A encounter at the Global Cricket Academy Oval 1, at Dubai.

On Sunday, Hong Kong after choosing to bat first posted 170-5 in its 20 overs. In its reply, Denmark was restricted to 135-9 in its 20 overs.

The key contributor for Hong Kong was opener Irfan Ahmed (91 n.o.: 60b, 104, 2x6). His stands, first worth 76 with Babar Hayat (28) for the opening wicket and later worth 49 with skipper James Atkinson (31) for the second were the key for Hong Kong.

For Denmark, Bobby Chawla (3-19) was the key wicket-taker.

The chase never really took off for Denmark. Kamran Mahmood (25), Aftab Ahmed (39) and Freddie Klokker (27) provided hope but the chase faltered mid-way.

For Hong Kong, Munir Dar (2-18) and Kinchit Shah (4-21) were the key wicket-takers.

Irfan Ahmed was named Man of the Match for his effort.

Irfan Ahmed said later: "I was really waiting for the opportunity to get in and make some runs.

"We have some played some good cricket in the last few days and we really need to try and do as well as we can in the remaining matches.

"It's really good to have the chance to play against teams like Afghanistan and the Netherlands and give us a chance to find out how good we are."

Hong Kong beat Denmark by 35 runs at Global Cricket Academy Oval 1

Hong Kong 170-5, 20 overs (Irfan Ahmed 91 n.o., James Atkinson 31; Bobby Chawla 3-19)

Denmark 135-9, 20 overs (Aftab Ahmed 39, Freddie Klokker 27, Kamran Mahmood 25; Kinchit Shah 4-21)

Man of the Match: Irfan Ahmed (Hong Kong)