Hong Kong stun Afghanistan to stay alive in ICC WCQ

Hong Kong chose the ICC World Cup Qualifiers as the perfect stage to register their first ever men’s victory over a full member nation, as they gunned down one of the pre-tournament favourites, Afghanistan to not only stay alive in the race for Super Sixes, but also dented Afghanistan’s chance of making it to the ICC World Cup in 2019.

Afghanistan now literally need a miracle to happen to go through to the Super Sixes stage with only one last group fixture remaining against Nepal. But if Hong Kong beat Nepal, then both Nepal and Afghanistan will crash out of the race for Super Sixes birth.

Afghanistan, on coarse nicely at midway stage, collapsed dramatically to 195/9 in pursuit of 242 to beat Hong Kong, with rain delays ensuring a 30-run defeat via Duckworth-Lewis method.

A masterclass knock by Anshuman Rath (65 runs) in the middle order ensured Hong Kong a steady grip on the scoring rates during their middle overs, whereas Ehsan Khan (4/33) ripped apart the Afghan middle order to script one of Hong Kong’s finest ever victories in their cricketing history till date.

Earlier, Mujeeb Zadran (3/26) and Mohammad Nabi (3/48) bowled brilliantly to keep Afghanistan on track but a late cameo from Tanvir Afzal (22 off 9) was crucial in Hong Kong reaching 241 in their 50 overs.

Batting again was the downfall for Afghanistan as the top 4 failed to convert their starts and the onus was once again on Nabi and Najibullah to save them from the situation they created for themselves. However, once both departed, it was almost over and even with Dawlat Zadran’s best efforts in the end with a 40 runs knock from 30 deliveries, the target was far too away from their reach and finished with 195/9.

Ehsan Khan got good support from Nadeem Ahmed (2/37) and Tanvir Afzal (1/37) to restrict their opponents and again showcase the rise in Emerging (Associate) nations cricket to the globe.

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