Hong Kong spinner takes 6-12 in thrilling Emerging Teams Asia Cup win over Afghanistan A

Anas Khan takes 6-12 in Hong Kong's thrilling win over Afghanistan A

In the ninth match of the 2024 tournament, Afghanistan A elected to bat first but were under the pump early on as they lost opener Wafiullah Tarakhil in the very first over, caught behind off Ayush Shukla.

Sediqullah Atal then strung together partnerships of 49 and 40 with Numan Shah and skipper Darwish Rasooli repsectively, scoring his third consecutive half-century of the tournament after knocks of 83 and 95* against Sri Lanka A and Bangladesh A.

He departed in the 14th over, trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Anas Khan's second delivery of the match while attempting to reverse sweep. Two balls later, Anas got rid of Rasooli, inducing a mistimed drive to take a simple return catch and reduce Afghanistan to 95-4.

There was a stroke of luck about Anas' third wicket, which came in his next over. A gentle full toss was picked up by Shahidullah, but hit straight to Nasrulla Rana at deep square leg.

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After some restrictive bowling, the pressure told when Anas took his fourth wicket in the 18th over of the innings, bowling Sharafuddin Ashraf, who attempted a wild hoick across the line. He completed a five-wicket haul by having Qais Ahmed caught on the boundary, before a skied slog from Karim Janat handed Anas a sixth wicket as Afghanistan A folded for 131.

Hong Kong lost two early wicket in their chase, slipping to 19-2 in 3.5 overs. But captain Nizakat Khan stepped up to the plate, scoring 61 and putting on 93 for the third wicket with Babar Hayat (39). Both of them were dismissed in the 18th over, leaving Hong Kong with 19 to get from the last two overs.

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Martin Coetzee was eventually the hero, slamming two fours and a six in his five-ball 15 to take his side over the line with three balls to spare. The result was nothing more than a consolation win for Hong Kong, who finished bottom of Group A. Afghanistan A finished second, qualifying for the semi-finals alongside Sri Lanka A.

Result: Afghanistan A 131 in 19.5 overs (Sediqullah Atal 52, Anas Khan 6-12) LOST to Hong Kong 133-5 in 20 overs (Nizakat Khan 61, Abdul Rahman 3-17).

Full list: Best figures for Hong Kong in T20 cricket

The matches at the Emerging Teams Asia Cup do not have Twenty20 International (T20I) status, but they are counted as T20 matches. Anas' figures of 6-12, therefore, are now the joint-best for Hong Kong in T20 cricket. Nasrulla Rana also took 6-12, last September against Papua New Guinea in Kuala Lumpur.