Hong Kong reached the Asia Cup on Wednesday (24) where they will face India and Pakistan after defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by eight wickets in the final qualifying round.
Chasing 148 to win, Hong Kong reached their target with an over to spare with Yasim Murtaza top scoring on 58.
The 31-year-old Murtaza made his runs off 43 balls and hit seven boundaries and one six.
But it was 37-year-old spinner Ehsan Khan who was named man of the match for his 4-24 in his four overs as the brakes were applied to the UAE innings.
He removed both of the Gulf team's top scorers, skipper Chundangapoyil Rizwan (49), who was smartly stumped by Manchester-born wicketkeeper Scott McKechnie, and Zawar Farid (41).
The Asia Cup gets underway on Saturday with India, Pakistan and Hong Kong drawn in Group A and Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Group B.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Indian cricket player Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a half-century (50 runs) during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28, 2026Getty Images
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Krunal Pandya celebrates after taking the wicket of Punjab Kings' Josh Inglis during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 final cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on June 3, 2025. Getty Images
