Pakistan crush India by four wickets at Hong Kong Sixes, chasing 89 in 3.5 overs after UAE upset
Abbas Afridi hit five straight sixes and Khawaja Nafay made 41 off 12 as Pakistan beat India with 13 balls left, hours after losing to the UAE by one wicket.
At a glance
- Pakistan chased 89 in 3.5 overs at Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok, winning by four wickets with 13 balls left.
- Captain Abbas Afridi hit five sixes in a row off Krunal Pandya in a 31-run opening over and made 35 off 8.
- Khawaja Nafay top-scored with 41 off 12; Shashank Singh's 40 off 11 led India to 88 for five.
- The defending champions had lost to the UAE by one wicket earlier on Friday; only Group C's winner reaches the Cup semi-finals.
Pakistan beat India by four wickets at the Hong Kong Sixes on Friday, racing to a target of 89 in just 3.5 overs at Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok. Captain Abbas Afridi opened the chase with five consecutive sixes off his opposite number Krunal Pandya, and the defending champions won with 13 balls to spare, hours after a one-wicket loss to the UAE.
That result kept Pakistan alive in Group C, where only the group winner goes through to the Cup semi-finals. It also settled a score from last year's tournament, when India won this fixture by two runs.
Thirty-one in one over, and India's total stopped looking big
India's 88 looked competitive in a six-over game, but the chase took less than four overs. Pakistan took 31 off Pandya's opening over, and Khawaja Nafay kept up the assault in the next against T Natarajan, with Pakistan adding 28 more. They were 59 without loss after two overs.
Shashank Singh ended the stand by removing Afridi, who was caught by Natarajan after making 35 from eight balls. Nafay fell to Rahul Tewatia for 41 off 12, with five sixes and two fours, but only a handful of runs remained by then. Irfan Khan Niazi finished the match with a six off the only ball he faced. Abdul Samad ended unbeaten on seven.
Afridi was named player of the match.
| Pakistan batting | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khawaja Nafay | 41 | 12 | 2 | 5 |
| Abbas Afridi (captain) | 35 | 8 | 1 | 5 |
| Abdul Samad (not out) | 7 | 3 | — | 1 |
| Irfan Khan Niazi (not out) | 6 | 1 | — | 1 |
Shashank's 11-ball 40 and a late collapse
Afridi won the toss and put India in. Shashank Singh carried the innings with 40 off 11 balls, including five sixes and two fours, and Nitish Rana added 19 off 14 before retiring out. T Natarajan made an unbeaten 12 from six balls.
The turning point came after India reached 74. Abdul Samad dismissed Tewatia and Pandya off consecutive deliveries, both for first-ball ducks, and finished with 2 for 10 from his single over. Ahmed Daniyal and Muhammad Shahzad took a wicket each.
| Match summary | Score |
|---|---|
| India | 88 for 5 (6 overs) |
| Pakistan | 91 for 2 (3.5 overs) |
| Result | Pakistan won by 4 wickets, 13 balls left |
| Player of the match | Abbas Afridi |
How the Hong Kong Sixes works
The 2026 tournament has 12 teams split into four groups of three, with Pakistan, India and the UAE together in Group C. Innings run for six overs, squads have seven players, and everyone except the wicketkeeper must bowl.
Pakistan arrived as champions after beating Kuwait in last year's final, and Afridi is no stranger to big hitting here: he struck six sixes in an over against Kuwait at the 2025 tournament. Group C now depends on the remaining result and the standings at the end of the group stage.
It has been a heavy week for Pakistan cricket fans. The senior side meets Sri Lanka in the tri-series final in Lahore on Saturday, while the Sixes squad tries to protect its title in Hong Kong.
