Pakistan Defeats India by Four Wickets at Hong Kong Sixes

Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India by four wickets in a high-voltage Group C match at the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 on October 30. Playing at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Kowloon, Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi won the toss and elected to field first, successfully restricting India to 88/5 in their allotted six overs.

India opened their innings with Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana, making a steady start before Muhammad Shahzad dismissed Tripathi for nine runs in the second over. Shashank Singh then provided a powerful counterattack for India, blasting 40 runs off just 11 balls, which included multiple boundaries and sixes. Nitish Rana contributed 19 runs off 14 deliveries before being retired out in the fifth over to allow fresh hitters to accelerate the scoring.

During the fifth over, Pakistan bowler Abdul Samad delivered a devastating double-strike by dismissing Rahul Tewatia and India captain Krunal Pandya on consecutive deliveries for golden ducks. Abdul conceded only 10 runs in that crucial over. Ahmed Daniyal then removed Shashank on the first ball of the final over, and T. Natarajan added 12 runs to help bring India's total to 88/5 at the end of six overs.

In response, Pakistan's batting lineup launched an aggressive pursuit of the 89-run target. Captain Abbas Afridi opened the batting alongside Khawaja Nafay and immediately took charge against Krunal Pandya, smashing five consecutive sixes to rack up 31 runs in the opening over. Pakistan continued the relentless assault by collecting another 28 runs off T. Natarajan's bowling.

Shashank Singh eventually broke the opening partnership by dismissing Abbas for 35 runs off eight balls, earning him the player of the match honors for Pakistan in terms of overall impact, though Abbas was later named player of the match. Despite the dismissal, Pakistan was already firmly in control at 73/1. Khawaja Nafay remained unbeaten with a stellar 41 runs off 12 balls, featuring two fours and five sixes, while Muhammad Irfan Khan struck the winning runs to seal the victory in just 3.5 overs.

The 22nd edition of the Hong Kong Sixes runs from October 30 to November 1, featuring twelve teams divided into four groups of three. Pakistan and India share Group C alongside the United Arab Emirates. If India defeats the UAE in their upcoming match, all three teams in Group C will finish with tied points, meaning the tiebreaker will be decided by the total number of sixes hit to determine qualification for the Cup category.