HONG KONG: Asif Ali’s brutal hitting helped Pakistan beat arch-rivals India by six wickets to reach the quarter-finals of Hong Kong Sixes.
Asif scored his second fifty to guide Pakistan into the knockout stage. He smashed two boundaries and seven maximums before getting retired.
Set to chase 120 in six overs, Pakistan started their batting with Mohammad Akhlaq and Asif. Akhlaq had a slow start but Asif fired from the other end to keep the chase on.
Akhlaq also accelerated later on and scored 40 off 12 balls. His knock included three boundaries and four sixes.
Captain Faheem Ashraf finished the chase with a firing cameo of 22 off five balls.
Pakistan hasn’t lost any wickets in two matches so far. Earlier, they beat UAE in their first match of pool C.
Earlier, Pakistani bowlers conceded 119 runs and took two wickets. 41-year-old Bharat Chipli, a former Indian First Class cricketer, scored 53 off 16 balls. During his stay, he smoked six boundaries and four maximums.
Faheem picked up two wickets for 50 runs in his two overs.
