Pakistanis warm up with routine win over Hong Kong

Rizwan scores unbeaten 55 as hosts claim 64-run win

KARACHI: Mohammad Rizwan scored a quick-fire half-century as Pakistan defeated Associate side Hong Kong by 64 runs in a tour match at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

T20I skipper Shahid Afridi rested senior players including batsmen Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez, vice-captain Sarfraz Ahmed, and pacers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan for the match; instead opting to give those at the periphery of the action a chance to impress.

Pakistan won the toss and scored 167-7 in their 20 overs, with Rizwan’s 38-ball 55 standing out as he smashed two sixes and five strikes to the fence.

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Rafatullah Mohmand, aged 39, got his chance to further advance his case of becoming Pakistan’s oldest T20 debutant as he was sent alongside Ahmed Shehzad to open the innings. But there were nervy moments for him at the start as he played out a maiden in the first over. Things went from bad to worse as Shehzad was dismissed on a golden duck off the first ball of the second over.

Rafatullah quickly got into the act though and scored a 19-ball 25 that included three fours and a six, while Sohaib Maqsood, who made 25 off 28 balls, consolidated from the other end.

Umar Akmal (10) failed to provide a significant contribution, while Afridi was only able to score five to leave the Men in Green floundering at 88-5.

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But Rizwan was involved in a 50-run stand with all-rounder Aamer Yamin for the seventh-wicket, with the two stroke-makers taking just 28 balls to bring up the 50 partnership.

Rizwan is now raring to go after having had an underwhelming ODI series. “I struggled in the ODIs against Adil Rasheed and didn’t perform as I would have liked,” he said. “But I’ve worked on my problems and am looking forward to contributing in the T20Is.”

Yamin played a 13-ball cameo that yielded 27 runs, including three sixes and a four before being dismissed by former Pakistan U19 player Haseeb Amjad. Fellow all-rounder Anwar Ali then followed suit with 16 off just eight balls.

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Medium-pacer Amjad was the most successful bowler for Hong Kong as he claimed three wickets for 38 runs, while Anshuman Rath claimed two scalps.

In reply, Hong Kong were bowled out for just 103 in 17.1 overs, with 21-year-old Mark Chapman being the only batsman to provide any form of resistance to the Pakistani bowling attack with his defiant 50 off 39 balls.

But Chapman found precious little support from the other end as only two other Hong Kong batsmen reached double figures, with the Associates dismissed 17 balls early.

Spinners Afridi and Bilal Asif claimed two wickets apiece while Imran Khan, Sohail Tanvir and Yameen got a scalp each.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2015.

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