Pakistan Clinches Record Sixth Hong Kong Sixes Title
News Desk
Hong Kong: Pakistan bounced back from their opening defeat against India to win three consecutive matches and clinch a record sixth Hong Kong Sixes title on Sunday. Led by captain Abbas Afridi, Pakistan defeated South Africa in the quarter-final, Australia in the semi-final, and Kuwait in the final.
Following the final victory, Pakistan star Muhammad Shahzad mimicked the trophy celebration performed by India all-rounder Hardik Pandya after India’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. Shahzad’s post, showing him posing with a shrug next to the trophy, quickly went viral on social media. “Fun end to the Hong Kong Sixes. Business as usual,” he wrote on X.
The victory makes Pakistan the outright record-holders for the most Hong Kong Sixes titles, with six wins, one more than England and South Africa.
In the final against debutants Kuwait, Pakistan delivered a dominant all-round performance, winning by 43 runs. Batting first, Pakistan posted 135/3, powered by Abdul Samad’s explosive 42 off 13 balls and captain Abbas Afridi’s blistering 52 off 11 balls. Kuwait’s Meet Bhavsar impressed with three wickets but couldn’t turn the match.
Kuwait started their chase strongly as Adnan Idrees smashed five sixes in the opening over, scoring 30 off 8 balls. However, Pakistan’s disciplined bowling restricted them to 92/6, securing a memorable victory.
Pakistan’s only defeat in the tournament came in their Pool C match against Dinesh Karthik-led India. In a rain-affected encounter, India won by two runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method but subsequently lost their next four matches, finishing the tournament on a disappointing note.
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