Afghanistan won the Hong Kong Sixes for the first time on Sunday, beating Australia by four wickets in the final at Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok. They chased 116 in 5.1 overs, with Imran Mir unbeaten on 53 off 14 balls, CricTracker reported.
They did it without losing a game all weekend, and they are the eighth nation to win the tournament. India, with a squad drawn from IPL regulars, finished 11th of 12, one place above Bangladesh.
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Key points
- Afghanistan beat Australia by four wickets in the final, chasing 116 in 5.1 overs
- Imran Mir made 53 not out off 14 balls; Afghanistan won every game and are the eighth nation to win the title
- India beat Bangladesh off the last ball to finish 11th; Bangladesh were last of the 12 teams
Imran Mir took the final away in 14 balls
Australia had made 115 in their six overs. Max Bryant hit 44 off 14 balls, Alex Ross 29 not out off 10 and Nick Hobson 23 off 8, according to IANS.
That is close to 20 an over. Mir made it look small. Captain Gulbadin Naib hit 17 off six balls and Farmanullah Safi finished it with an unbeaten cameo off seven, as Afghanistan got home with five balls left.
Their route to the final was just as clean. They chased 108 to beat South Africa by three wickets in the group, beat Oman, then defended 121 against Scotland in the semi-final, winning by 21 runs.
A first title in a tournament Pakistan usually own
Pakistan came in as defending champions with six titles. This time they missed the Cup knockouts and won the Plate instead, beating Oman by 18 runs in that final. Coming a day after Pakistan’s tri-series title in Lahore, it was a mixed weekend for their cricket.
Scotland beat the UAE by 45 runs for third place. South Africa won the Bowl, the competition for the four sides who finished bottom of their groups, by beating England.
India and Bangladesh scrap over 11th place
India dropped into the Bowl after losing both group games, to Pakistan and the UAE according to Yahoo Sports, then lost their Bowl semi-final to England by three runs.
Their last game, the play-off for 11th, was the closest of the lot, PTI reported. Bangladesh captain Abu Hider hit 62 not out off 18 balls, with eight sixes, to take his side to 116, while Krunal Pandya took three wickets in his two overs. India’s openers put on 69, Shashank Singh making 50 off 15 and Rahul Tripathi 32 off 12, but they still needed 23 off the last over. Rahul Tewatia and Nitish Rana got them there off the final ball.
That left Bangladesh 12th of 12. For a country whose senior men’s side has just lost the Mirpur Test to West Indies, it was not the weekend anyone wanted.
What happens next
The Sixes is an invitational six-a-side event, and the main international cricket resumes quickly: India’s five-match ODI series in New Zealand starts on 4 November, and Bangladesh host West Indies in the second Test in Sylhet from 5 November.
For more short-format cricket, see our T20 hub, the teams hub and upcoming fixtures in our match centre.
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Wendy Prinsloo
Wendy is an iGaming journalist and sports betting writer who covers cricket news, betting platforms, odds, and online casinos.
She writes about the latest developments in the cricket industry and helps readers stay updated while understanding how betting works.
