Hong Kong national cricket team thrashed Singapore on the opening day of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup. Babar Hayat’s scintillating ton helped Hong Kong register a cakewalk eight-wicket win at Mulpani Cricket Ground.
Hong Kong achieved the target of 175 in 33 overs losing just two wickets. They lost Anshy Rath for six early on, but Captain Nizakat Khan and Babar Hayat added 132 runs for the second wicket. The winning skipper Nizakat scored 51 runs.
Babar Hayat remained unbeaten for 108 runs from 94 balls. The power-hitting batter smacked ten fours and six biggies.
Singapore were bowled out for 174 runs in the first inning. Invited to bat first, they were wrapped up in 42.1 overs after Ehsan Khan’s (10-3-24-4) and Yasim Murtaza‘s (10-1-25-1) brilliant bowling spell. Mohammad Ghazanfar, Aziz Khan and Ayush Shukla also picked up one each.
For Singapore, Skipper Aritra Dutta scored the highest 49 runs. No other batter could do any special. The no. 11 batter, however, managed to score 11-ball 18. Hong Kong bowlers conceded 28 extras, including 12 wides.
Singapore will play their next match against Bahrain on April 20 at TU Cricket Ground. Meanwhile, Hong Kong will face UAE at Mulpani on April 21.
Feature Photo – Babar Hayat batting against Kenya in 2016/ESPNCricinfo
