Hong Kong, 30 October: Pakistan beat India comfortably in Match 7 of Hong Kong Sixes 2026, chasing a target of 89 in just 3.5 overs. Shashank Singh hit 40 off 11 balls for India, but Khawaja Nafay’s unbeaten 41 off 12 and a 35 off eight balls from captain Abbas Afridi took Pakistan home with 13 balls to spare.
It was the first win of the tournament for the defending champions.
Shashank carries India’s innings
Abbas won the toss and chose to bowl. Rahul Tripathi and Nitish Rana took 11 runs from the first over before Muhammad Shahzad removed Tripathi for nine off five balls in the second.
Shashank came in at No. 3 and took 16 runs off his first three deliveries, helping India to 22 in that over. Abbas then bowled a tight third over, giving away 11 and keeping Rana quiet with four dot balls. India were 44/1 at the halfway mark.
Shashank took 24 runs off the fourth over with three sixes and a four. Rana, who was struggling on 19 off 14 balls, was retired out in the fifth over to bring in Rahul Tewatia.
Abdul Samad then removed Tewatia and India captain Krunal Pandya off consecutive balls, both for golden ducks. He gave away only 10 runs in the over, and India were 78/4 with one over left. Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Shashank with the first ball of the last over, and T Natarajan added 12 more as India finished on 88/5.
Abbas hits five sixes in a row
Abbas opened the chase with Nafay and hit Krunal for five consecutive sixes as Pakistan took 31 from the first over. They added 28 more off T Natarajan in the second over.
Pakistan were 73/1 at the halfway stage when Krunal turned to Shashank, who dismissed Abbas for 35 off eight balls. Nafay kept going, finishing unbeaten on 41 with two fours and five sixes, and Irfan Khan hit the winning runs.
Abbas was named Player of the Match.
What it meant for India
The defeat left India needing to beat UAE in their final group game. At that stage Pakistan had hit 23 sixes in two matches, UAE 12 in one and India seven in one, with the sixes count to be used to separate the teams if all three finished level on points in Group C. India had been drawn with Pakistan and UAE in the group stage.
Brief scores
India 88/5 in 6 overs (Shashank Singh 40 off 11, Nitish Rana 19 off 14; Abdul Samad 1/10 in 2 overs)
Pakistan 91/2 in 3.5 overs (Khawaja Nafay 41* off 12, Abbas Afridi 35 off 8; Shashank Singh 1/14 in 1 over)
Player of the Match: Abbas Afridi
