Pakistan will meet India in the other 2022 Asian Cup clash on Sunday evening after beating Hong Kong in Sharjah.
Mohammad Rizwan battled the heat and humidity to score the top scorer with 78 points.
Fakhar Zaman also reached the half century before a late brutal strike from Khushdil Shah, who took him to 35 points on 15 balls, helping Pakistan to 193-2.
Hong Kong looked shocked in response as it collapsed to 38 all out, which is the lowest score ever in a T20 international match involving a full member nation.
Naseem Shah did not suffer from the cramp that forced him off against India four days earlier.
The bowler quickly beat Hong Kong’s two top hitters, Nizakat Khan and Babar Hayat, by just 16 runs at a time.
Hong Kong succumbed afterward against slow bowlers Pakistan. Shadab Khan took 4-8 and Mohammed Nawaz 3-5 as Pakistan crushed their opponents to claim a 155-round victory.
The result confirms Pakistan’s progress to the Super 4 stage of the competition, which starts with Afghanistan against Sri Lanka on Saturday night.
Pakistan will then have a chance to try to avenge their first loss to India in the competition, when the two teams meet again at the Dubai International Stadium a day later.
None of the points from the previous game will carry over to the next stage, meaning India’s blow in their win over Pakistan on Monday won’t mean much.
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