In today’s final Asia Cup Group-A match, Pakistan will play Hong Kong for a spot in the Super 4s at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

It won’t be easy for the Pakistani team given Hong Kong’s previous performance. Hong Kong has recently been in excellent form, taking first place in the qualification competition and going undefeated. The last thing Pakistan will want to do is write off their performance against India in the last tournament.

Hong Kong will also be aware of Pakistan’s lack of a T20I victory this season. This year, Pakistan has participated in two T20Is, losing both of them.

In their opening game of the Asia Cup, the men in blue dealt them their second defeat while the first came against Australia.

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the Pakistani team’s reliable opening pair, will once more be looked to have a strong start and for big hitters Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah to go off at the finish.

The batting struggled in their most recent game against India, leaving the side with a weak score to defend. The bowlers in the game were outstanding, taking wickets at pivotal moments to keep them in the game.

Due to his physical condition, Naseem Shah’s assistance in the pace department for the Pakistani team may not be needed. He could be replaced with Mohammad Hasnain as a suitable substitute.

On the other side, Hong Kong will not view their defeat against India with great sadness because they were able to learn a lot from the match. Before Suryakumar suddenly exploded at the end and helped India score a massive total, the bowlers were on their game. They had promising batsmen, especially Babur Hayat, who outscored everyone with 41 points while facing Indian bowlers.

The batting partnership of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, as well as Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, who were excellent, are the guys to watch out for in the match.

Babur Hayat has been scoring with a terrific strike rate recently for Hong Kong, and the club will depend on him for early runs. Their go-to bowler Ehsan Khan was effective against India, throwing yorkers at will in the final stages.

As is typical for Sharjah, a scorching day is anticipated. The Sharjah pitch has a reputation for helping slower bowlers, while the batter may benefit from the reduced size of the field.

(Inputs from IANS)