Whoever loses today will be out of the tournament. Yesterday, 2018 runner-ups Bangladesh made an unexpected exit after losing against Sri Lanka in the final over. Pakistan also lost their last match against India by a close margin and would be hoping to come back in today's match.
After a good performance in the Asia Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong failed to manage its reputation after losing against India by a good margin. On the other hand, Pakistan's batting lineup appeared to struggle against pace bowling.
The situation is similar to the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka match, where both teams had already lost to the table toppers. If we compare the two matches, Pakistan's bowling is still its strength with Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz looking in good. While Babar Azam failed to explode in the last match, he will need a good innings to get back on track.
Hong Kong was not as miserable as it could have been against India. Most teams succumb while chasing a 190+ total. Batsmen Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah and Zeeshan Ali did try their best to score but failed against the strong Indian bowling lineup. Today, they have the last chance to prove their mettle and make their place in the super fours.
Pak vs HK, Asia Cup 2022: Weather and pitch report
Sharjah Cricket Stadium has a slow and flat pitch, making it good for batting. The temperature is expected to be around 35-degree Celsius with 45 per cent humidity and there are no chances of precipitation and dew.
The team winning the toss should opt to bat first and put some runs on the board. As chasing might not be as good as Dubai International Cricket stadium.
Pak vs HK, Match 6, Asia Cup 2022: Pakistan Predicted XI
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani
Pak vs HK, Match 6, Asia Cup 2022: Hong Kong Predicted XI
Nizakat Khan (c), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Scott McKechnie (wk), Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla
Pak vs HK, Match 5- Asia Cup 2022: Live Streaming
Star Sports Network is the official broadcaster of the Cricket Asia Cup 2022. While you can enjoy the live telecast on TV, you can only access it on the Disney+ Hostar app from 7.30 pm (IST) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Pak vs HK, Match 5- Asia Cup 2022: Head-to-head
Pakistan and Hong Kong have not played against each other in T20 Internationals. However, they have had three encounters in One Day Internationals (ODI) in Asia cup tournaments, where Pakistan outclassed them in every match.
Pak vs HK, Match 5- Asia Cup 2022: Who will win the match?
It is highly unlikely that Pakistan will lose against Hong Kong. However, Google suggests that Pakistan has a 96% chance of winning, while Hong Kong has only a 4%. In general, Google prediction depends on various factors such as the team's performance during the match, previous records and potential.
The Pakistani batting line-up is filled with a few big names such as Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammed Rizwan and Asif Ali. All these players have a track record of proving exceptional in knockout matches. While bowlers such as Naseem Shah, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Shah are good, there is a chance that Mohammad Hasnain will replace Naseem Shah in today's match.
Hong Kong's batting lineup has Kinchit Shah, Babar Hayat and Zeeshan Ali, who are in a good form. Hence, it would be interesting to see how they face Pakistan's powerful bowling line-up. Bowlers Ehsan Khan and Mohammed Ghazanfar will play a major role in bowling.
(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)