Pakistan beat Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Sixes on Saturday, October 31, 2026, chasing 107 in 4.3 overs to reach the Plate final against Oman. The win came hours after the United Arab Emirates ended Pakistan’s defence of the main Cup trophy by beating India in Group C, so the defending champions will now play for fifth place, not the title. Captain Abbas Afridi led the Plate semi-final chase with 55 from 13 balls, and the result turned a familiar number, 107, from a Friday defeat into a Saturday win.
The morning that ended the Cup defence
Pakistan’s Cup fate was decided before they batted against Hong Kong. The UAE beat India in the last Group C match, finishing unbeaten with four points from two matches, while Pakistan finished second with two points and India finished last with none. Under the tournament format, only the group winner advances to the Cup semi-finals, while the runners-up go to the Plate semi-finals and the third placed teams go to the Bowl semi-finals. That rule is why Pakistan’s Friday numbers could not save them. India made 94, and the UAE chased 95 without losing a wicket in 4.2 overs, with captain Khalid Shah unbeaten on 52 from 14 balls, including six sixes. Once the UAE won, there was no tie to break, so Pakistan’s 23 sixes from two matches no longer mattered.
The 107 mirror
The Plate semi-final then produced an exact mirror of Friday’s opening defeat. On Friday, Pakistan posted 106, and the UAE chased 109 for 5 to win by one wicket off the last ball, with Shah scoring 71 from 20 balls. On Saturday, Hong Kong posted 106 for 3, and Pakistan chased 107 without loss in 4.3 overs, with nine balls still remaining. The target was the same and the venue was the same Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok, yet the ending was reversed. Hong Kong’s innings was built on Nizakat Khan, who scored 38 from 10 balls, and Anshy Rath, who scored 37 from 15 balls. For Pakistan, Irfan Khan took two wickets for 16 runs in his one over, and Ahmed Daniyal took one wicket.
Afridi twice, two different endings
Afridi is now the clearest thread through all three Pakistan matches, and the contrast between his innings explains the tournament so far. Abbas Afridi was named captain in Pakistan’s Hong Kong Sixes squad announcement, and he has scored a fifty in each of Pakistan’s last two matches. Against the UAE on Friday, his 53 from 13 balls was not enough, because Pakistan still lost off the last ball. Against Hong Kong on Saturday, his 55 from 13 balls, with seven sixes and three fours, settled the match early. Khawaja Nafay supported him with 34 from 10 balls, including four sixes and two fours, and Abdul Samad finished the chase with 17 from four balls, including two sixes and one four. The difference was not Afridi’s form, but control of the match. On Friday, Pakistan batted first and watched the chase. On Saturday, Pakistan chased, and Afridi set the pace from the first over.
What the Plate final actually decides
The Plate final is not a consolation match without meaning, but readers should be clear about what it is. The winner finishes fifth in the 12 team tournament, while the Cup final on Sunday decides the title Pakistan won last year. That is a demotion for six time champions, and it should be reported as one, not dressed up as a second title. Oman earned the other Plate final place by beating Sri Lanka in the first Plate semi-final on Saturday. Sri Lanka made 92 for 5, and Oman chased 93 for 1 in 4.4 overs, with Usman Afridi scoring 46 from 12 balls and Zohaib Amanat scoring 37 from 12 balls. Yesterday’s report on Pakistan beating India without going through set out three ways Saturday could end, and the first is the one that happened, a UAE win that settled Group C outright.
Three tests for Sunday
First, can Pakistan’s bowlers give Afridi a chase again, rather than a total to defend, after Friday showed how quickly a last ball chase can go wrong. Second, can Oman be stopped early, after Usman Afridi and Zohaib Amanat chased 93 in 4.4 overs against Sri Lanka, because a fast Oman start would put Pakistan under the same pressure Hong Kong faced. Third, what does fifth place mean for the title defence, after Pakistan also reached a final through fine margins, with Pakistan reaching the Sultan of Johor Cup final on goals scored in hockey. The Plate final is listed for Sunday at 2:15pm Hong Kong time, which is 11:15am in Pakistan, at Mission Road Ground. Follow more sports news from Pakistan for the Plate final result.
