Saudi Arabia Beat Hong Kong by 10 Runs — Ishtiaq Ahmad's Hat-Trick Settles the Top-of-the-Table Clash

The two unbeaten sides in Qualifier B met at Bayuemas Oval, and for 17 overs of the second innings it looked as though Hong Kong would walk away top of the table. Reyansh Sharma was batting beautifully, the asking rate was manageable, and there were six wickets in hand.

Then Ishtiaq Ahmad ran in for the 18th over and took three wickets in three balls. Saudi Arabia won by 10 runs.

Hong Kong put Saudi Arabia in, and Faisal Khan made them pay at once: 38 from 16 balls with four sixes, and 39 on the board when he fell in the third over. Abdul Waheed then did what he has done all tournament. He added 44 with Manan Ali and 43 with Usman Khalid, and his 67 from 46 balls was his third substantial innings in three matches. He fell to the last ball of the 19th over, but Saudi Arabia still found 168, comfortably the highest score Hong Kong had faced in the event.

The defence was not straightforward. Reyansh Sharma and Shahid Wasif added 51 for the fourth wicket, and Hong Kong arrived at the 18th over at 148 for 4. What followed was a lesson in staying calm under pressure: Ishtiaq's hat-trick, Usman Najeeb's three wickets, and two run outs, both involving Zain Ul Abidin, as Hong Kong lost their last six wickets for ten runs. Saudi Arabia are now the only unbeaten side in Qualifier B.

This is a defeat that will sting, because for most of the evening Hong Kong did the harder things well. Yasim Murtaza's four overs cost 21, and they kept Saudi Arabia from running away with it after Faisal's start. In the chase, Reyansh Sharma batted with real authority — 71 not out from 48 balls, six fours and three sixes — and he was still there at the end, which is the cruellest part. He watched six partners go for ten runs.

Hong Kong had won their first two games, against Malaysia on DLS and China by eight wickets. Their net run rate (+2.657) remains the best in the group, and they are still very much in contention. But they will look back on the 18th over and wonder how a chase of 21 from 16 balls, with a set batter in, slipped away.

Hong Kong chose to field at Bayuemas Oval, and the scores — 168 and 158 — suggest a better surface for batting than the one on which Malaysia and Saudi Arabia scored 137 and 139 two days earlier. Batters who got in scored quickly; Waheed and Reyansh both struck at well over a run a ball. Even so, the bowlers who kept it tight were rewarded: Yasim Murtaza (4-0-21-1) in the first innings, Ishtiaq Ahmad and Usman Najeeb (both 4-0-25) in the second.

Ishtiaq had already removed Zeeshan Ali early in the chase. When he came back with Hong Kong at 148 for 4, he had Aizaz Khan caught by the wicketkeeper Manan Ali, Yasim Murtaza caught by Muhammad Atif, and Hassan Khan Mohammad lbw — three balls, three wickets, the score unchanged at 148. A match that had drifted towards Hong Kong for an hour turned in the space of a minute. He finished with 4 for 25, and Saudi Arabia finished with a third win from three.

This match didn't have a CricIntel preview — we'll have full analysis for the next encounter.

After three rounds of Qualifier B, Saudi Arabia lead with six points (net run rate +1.563). Hong Kong (+2.657) and Singapore (+0.133) have four, Malaysia (+1.676) and Maldives (-0.842) have two, and China (-4.526) are yet to score.

On October 12, Saudi Arabia play China, Hong Kong face Maldives, and Malaysia meet Singapore.