Later, Afridi combining with Khawaja Nafay pilfered 28 runs off T. Natarajan’s bowling and put the chase in cruise control reaching 73/1 at the halfway stage.
Shashank Singh, summoned by captain Krunal, found a breakthrough sending back Abbas Afridi for 35 off just eight deliveries. But Nafay hadn’t had enough.
He plundered 41 off 12 balls, including two fours and five sixes, while Irfan Khan took Pakistan home in just 3.5 overs.
With that, the defending champions registered their first victory of the Hong Kong Sixes 2026, defeating arch-rivals India by four wickets. If India beats UAE tomorrow, the points of all the 3 teams from Group C will be tied and the team who has hit the most sixes will qualify for the Cup Category.
Earlier, Shashank binged 40 off just 11 balls at one drop after Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi won the toss and elected to bowl, restricting India to 88/5 in six overs.
India opened their innings with Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana, getting off to a steady start with 11 runs in the first over. Muhammad Shahzad provided Pakistan with the first breakthrough in the second over, sending back Tripathi for nine off five balls. Shashank smashed 16 runs off just 3 deliveries to take India to 22 runs in the over, despite the loss of a wicket.
Afridi took kept Nitish Rana in check with four dot balls while conceding just 11 runs as India were 44/1 at the halfway stage.
In the fourth over, the Indian struck 24 runs, including three sixes and a boundary. However, after Nitish struggled at 19 off 14 deliveries, India opted to retire him out in the fifth over, bringing Rahul Tewatia to the crease.
Tewatia’s stay was short-lived as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Then India captain Krunal Pandya was dismissed for another golden duck on the very next delivery with only 10 runs coming in that fifth over reaching 78/4.
Shashank, who had anchored India’s innings with his aggressive hitting, was dismissed by Ahmed Daniyal off the first ball of the final over. With T. Natarajan the only batter left to face the remaining deliveries, India managed to add 12 runs to finish at 88/5 in six overs.