New Delhi: Hong Kong took off in the T20I Tri-Nations Cup as they beat hosts Malaysia by six wickets in the 3rd T20I at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. It was their first win of the tournament, having gone down against Kuwait in their campaign opener but came good against Malaysia, handing them their first loss. With the win, they have equalled the other two competing nations, all having a win each so far.
Hong Kong won the toss and elected to field first as they conceded 101 runs and took seven wickets in 20 overs. Coming out to chase, openers Martin Coetzee and Anshuman Rath disappointed but skipper Nizakat Khan struck 37* off 40 balls (a four and a six) while Babar Hayat scored 34 off 21 (2 fours; 3 sixes) as they easily cruised for the target and won the match in a mere 16.5 overs, the scoreboard reading 102/4.
Yasim Murtaza scored the winning run and turned out to be the Player of the Match for his all-round effort. He scored 13* off 22 balls including a four and shone in the first innings with the ball, registering figures of 4-0-9-4. The Malaysian bowlers were wayward with their line and lengths as their side went on to endure first loss of the series.
Malaysian innings
The Malaysian were invited to bat first and their opener Syed Aziz indeed gave them a flying start. He scored 31 runs off 21 balls with the help of four fours and a six. None of the other batters could capitalise any further as Ahmad Faiz was the second top score with 16 runs followed by Khizar Hayat’s 10 runs. Murtaza was the pick of the bowlers with his brilliant four-fer, Ateeq Iqbal and Ehsan Khan scalped a wicket each to halt the hosts at 101/7.
The three teams have equal stats in the points table, having won a game out of the two played and having two points each. However, Hong Kong take the top spot with a better NRR i.e. +0.370.
Hong Kong defeated hosts Malaysia by six wickets in the 3rd match of the T20I Tri-Nations Cup at the Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
