Hong Kong were outplayed with both bat and ball, as Pakistan registered a comfortable 8 wicket victory in the opening Group A game of the Unimoni 2018 Asia Cup. Usman Khan starred with the ball as Hong Kong were bowled out for 116, before Imam-Ul-Haq's unbeaten 50 got them across the line in 23.4 overs.

Anshuman Rath started the day well, electing to bat first after winning the toss. He opened the batting with Nizakat Khan, who got HK off to a flying start, taking 11 runs off Mohammad Amir's first over. But it wasn't long until Pakistan struck - a sharp piece of fielding by Shadab Khan caught Nizakat short of his crease, and he was run out with the score at 17. Anshuman Rath played some lovely shots, until he nicked one behind off Faheem Ashraf, and that started a mini-collapse. 32/2 quickly became 44/5 - Chris Carter was caught at cover driving on the up, Babar Hayat was stumped, and Ehsan Khan was pinned LBW - Shadab Khan taking the last two of those wickets in his very first over.

Kinchit Shah and Aizaz Khan then lead a mini recovery, with a fine 50 run partnership, batting with skill and confidence. Just when it looked like they could take Hong Kong to a defensible score, Usman Khan cleaned up Aizaz Khan (27 off 47) with a gem of a delivery. He then struck twice more in the same over, and Hong Kong were suddenly 97/8. Kinchit Shah (26 off 50) fell soon after - driving Hasan Ali to point -and HK were 99/9. Ehsan Nawaz and Nadeem Ahmed batted well for a bit -each picking up a boundary- but a terrible misunderstanding lead to an easy runout, and Hong Kong were bowled out for 116. A below par score in good batting conditions, they would need to produce something special with the ball if they were to win this game.

There was a short turn around between innings, given Hong Kong were bowled out in just 37 overs, which meant Pakistan had to bat 7 overs before the lunch break. Tanwir Afzal started superbly for HK -as he usually does- and conceded only 3 runs in his first 3 overs. Fakhar Zaman went after him in his fourth, hitting a six and a four in the last over before lunch. Nevertheless, HK had bowled well, only conceding 35 in the first 7 overs - Imam Ul Haq on 10, Fakhar Zaman on 23.

Soon after play resumed, Ehsan Khan struck to remove Zaman -caught behind by Scott McKechnie- ending a 41 run opening partnership. This brought Babar Azam to the crease, and he put on 42 runs with Imam-Ul-Haq, before he too fell caught behind to Ehsan Khan. Ehsan bowled beautifully, demonstrating the same form that brought him success at the Asia Cup Qualifiers, and was unlucky to not have Imam-Ul-Haq's wicket as well - the left-hander controversially surviving a reviewed LBW decision. Imam survived a LBW appeal against Nadeem Ahmed too, but was chance-less otherwise, bringing up his fifty in the 24th over, one ball before Shoaib Malik ended the run chase with a boundary to mid-wicket.

A tough day out for HK against tough opposition. There were a few positives to take out of this - the way Aziz and Kinchit batted, Ehsan Khan's and Nadeem's bowling, and the energy and commitment in the field. This game will no doubt be a great learning experience for the boys, and they will look to put on an improved showing this Tuesday against India.