RESULT
2nd Match, Group A, Dubai (DICS), September 16, 2018, Asia Cup
(23.4/50 ov, T:117) 120/2

Pakistan won by 8 wickets (with 158 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
3/19
usman-shinwari
New
PAK
Full commentary

Right, we're done for the night. Do join us again same time on Monday when Sri Lanka face Afghanistan in what is virtually a must-win game for them.

Usman Khan is Man of the Match for his 3 for 19. "When I came to bowl, I just tried to take a wicket with the new ball. But luck was not with me today. In the second spell, I tried, and with the ball reversing, I was able to take wickets. Fitness is okay. There was just a little bit of bleeding in the toe. I'm happy with my bowling today and it's given me lots of confidence. It's fun to play with a lot of strong players on the bench, all of us are good bowlers, we compete against each other and hopefully we can keep going forward and trying hard"

"This was a complete performance. But as captain I saw a couple of things, we'll work on that as well," Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed says, "For us to go the distance in the tournament, we should have won this game by nine wickets. We also need to get early wickets with the ball. Early on, the ball didn't swing and we had alarm bells. We have time to adjust to this before the India game. It's good to win, but to win against India, we have to be at our very best"

ESPNcricinfo Match Day is live on the homepage. Go there to check in with Deep Dasgupta and Saqlain Mushtaq

"Lots of soft dismissals. 120 [116] was not enough. It was a good wicket. Credit goes to the Pakistan bowlers," Hong Kong captain Anshy Rath says, "Our offspinners are top class, but we just didn't have enough runs on the board. I think early on, it swung a bit, there was a bit of bounce. We got through the start, but we couldn't convert it. One fifty-run partnership is not enough to post a good total"

9.00 pm Pakistan's bowling strength - it can't be overstated. Usman Khan picks up three wickets in an over. Shadab Khan struck with his first ball, an absolutely delicious googly. Mohammad Amir was tidy, if not quite threatening and Hasan Ali attacks the stumps with such a vengeance. It was always going to be hard for Hong Kong and once they folded for 116, there was only ever going to be one result at the end of the night. Former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq said this game would just be preparation for the one against India. But was it even that?

23.4
4
Aizaz Khan to Malik, FOUR runs

launches a short ball to the midwicket boundary and seals a comprehensive win for Pakistan

23.3
1
Aizaz Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, 1 run

clips it off his hips through to deep square leg. Brings up fifty, his first, in addition to his four previous hundreds in ODIs

23.2
Aizaz Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, no run

blocks to point, looking for the run that gets him a fifty. Not there

23.1
1
Aizaz Khan to Malik, 1 run

opens the face to plop a ball on off stump into the sprawling real estate at third man

end of over 2310 runs
PAK: 114/2CRR: 4.95 RRR: 0.11
Imam-ul-Haq49 (67b 3x4 1x6)
Shoaib Malik4 (9b)
Ehsan Khan 8-0-34-2
Ehsan Nawaz 4-0-27-0
22.6
4
Ehsan Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, FOUR runs

one-bounce into the long-on ropes. Imam is on 49, getting there with an eager couple of steps down the pitch and a launch over the bowler's head

22.5
Ehsan Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, no run

full on off stump, defends

22.4
1
Ehsan Khan to Malik, 1 run

this time the flick works, the length ball on middle scurrying away in front of square leg

22.3
Ehsan Khan to Malik, no run

appeal for lbw, but Malik gets an inside edge as he goes for a flick

22.3
1w
Ehsan Khan to Malik, 1 wide

slips down leg

22.2
3
Ehsan Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, 3 runs

nudges the ball straying on leg to long leg

22.1
1
Ehsan Khan to Malik, 1 run

flicks the full delivery on leg stump to deep midwicket

end of over 229 runs
PAK: 104/2CRR: 4.72 RRR: 0.46
Shoaib Malik2 (6b)
Imam-ul-Haq42 (64b 2x4 1x6)
Ehsan Nawaz 4-0-27-0
Ehsan Khan 7-0-24-2
21.6
1
Ehsan to Malik, 1 run

flicks it off his pads to deep square leg

The umpires thought the over was done, forgetting about the wide call they made. Eventually, it's put right

abdulla: "I don't know why there is so much critic going on about Imam. He has so far only played in conditions in which things are calm or there is a requirement of a cool head.( Ireland Test). He just doesn't have to attack when things are going right. Just imagine, if today He was also gone today playing big shots, there would be more pressure on Pakistan and it would be considered a strong fought win. Also, then we would not be able to say that Pakistan are going at a cruise mode. Reminds me of Misbah"

21.5
Ehsan to Malik, no run

defends the back of a length ball to short midwicket

21.4
Ehsan to Malik, no run

bouncer, he ignores it

Owais: "@apple you're talking about a kid who hasn't had many home matches, with the crowd cheering him on (no UAE is not Pakistan) and who has proven to be the cause of cornerstone of the overall ODI improvement of Pakistan. Give him a break"

Mudassir Butt : "Everything pointing towards a classic Ind-Pak match...India coming straight from England Series and Pakistani Players getting match practice...I have taken leave on Wednesday to watch Cricket's El Clasico"

21.3
1
Ehsan to Imam-ul-Haq, 1 run

back of a length on leg stump, works it behind square leg

21.2
Ehsan to Imam-ul-Haq, no run

full and outside off, drives to mid-off

21.1
6
Ehsan to Imam-ul-Haq, SIX runs

wallops it over long-on! For half a second, it seems like he's been done in by the bowler responding to his charge out of the crease. But Imam meets the short ball head on and pulls it away ever so strongly

21.1
1w
Ehsan to Imam-ul-Haq, 1 wide

comes down the pitch but Nawaz adjusts to it, going for a bouncer. Too high says the umpire

end of over 212 runs • 1 wicket
PAK: 95/2CRR: 4.52 RRR: 0.75
Imam-ul-Haq35 (61b 2x4)
Shoaib Malik1 (3b)
Ehsan Khan 7-0-24-2
Ehsan Nawaz 3-0-18-0
20.6
1
Ehsan Khan to Imam-ul-Haq, 1 run

goes back to block through point, and since there's only vacant spaces there...

20.5
1
Ehsan Khan to Malik, 1 run

stands tall and crunches a length ball to long-on