Pakistan start campaign with tricky test against Hong Kong

Overview

Hong Kong v Pakistan
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Asia Cup, Group A
Saturday, 15 September, 3.30pm local, 11.30am GMT

At the outset, a lot seems to be in Pakistan’s favour. They have an extremely balanced side, the youth – Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq – have all gelled well with the experienced – Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed – and their bowling stocks are as good as ever.

They have acquired a taste for winning silverware, and their ICC Champions Trophy 2017 triumph will only have whetted their appetite for more.

And in the United Arab Emirates, they have a home away from home, a venue where they have played a lot of cricket for the best part of a decade. The familiarity of conditions – and that is important in temperatures shooting over the 40-degree mark – will certainly be valuable.

At the other extreme is Hong Kong. They made it the tournament after going through the Asia Cup Qualifier, despite Babar Hayat stepping down as captain abruptly on the eve of their first match. Anshuman Rath, all of 20, has since taken over the reins and led from the front.

Not many odds will favour them against a side sat at No.5 in the MRF Tyres ODI Team Rankings, but there are some things going their way too. For starters, beating the current Afghanistan side takes some doing, but Hong Kong managed just that during their ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 clash in March.

They also showed big-match temperament in the final of the qualifier earlier this month, seeing off UAE by two wickets in a match that went down to the wire. The spin-friendly conditions in Dubai also play to Hong Kong’s strengths, with Nadeem Ahmed, the veteran left-arm spinner, leading the attack.

All in all, one thing is for certain: Pakistan cannot afford to relax. For all their 'home' comforts, they have lost nine of their 16 one-day internationals at the Dubai stadium. It's a statistic that will not have escaped this young Hong Kong side, who will be determined to make their mark at the big stage.

Key players
Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong): The 20-year-old captain of Hong Kong showed remarkable tenacity to lead the side through the qualifiers earlier this month, and captaincy didn’t seem to hamper him one bit: he was the leading run-scorer in the competition. He signifies everything good about Hong Kong, and how they fare against Pakistan will depend on how he pulls the strings.

Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan): Whether the young paceman will get to make his ODI debut remains to be seen, but if he does, he is one to keep an eye out for. Afridi has already impressed in his three Twenty20 International outings, picking 3/37 against Australia in Harare on one occasion. He was one of the standout bowlers in the ICC Under-19 World Cup earlier this year too, and against Hong Kong’s somewhat iffy middle order, Pakistan might just decide to unleash him.

Conditions
Extremely hot. Temperatures touched 42°C on Saturday, and it is expected to be around that region throughout the tournament. The side winning the toss will want to bat first, keep the opposition out in the sun for most of the day, and then bowl when it is relatively cooler.

Squads
Hong Kong: Anshuman Rath (c), Aizaz Khan, Arshad Mohammad, Babar Hayat, Christopher Carter, Ehsan Khan, Ehsan nawaz, Cameron McAuslan, Scott McKechnie, Nadeem Ahmed, Nizakat Khan, Kinchit Shah, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Tanwir Afzal, Waqas Khan
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Imam ul Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Nawaz, Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Usman Shinwari, Shaheen Afridi