Hong Kong defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final of Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier in Kuala Lumpur to earn a place in the tournament proper. In a rain-curtailed match, Hong Kong emerged victories by two wickets to qualify for Asia Cup 2018. Hong Kong were set 179 to win from 24 overs after Aizaz Khan scalped a five-wicket haul. In response, Hong Kong kept losing wickets but managed to cross the line. Asia Cup 2018 Top Players to Watch Out For: Rohit Sharma to Hasan Ali to Rashid Khan, Meet the Game Changers in UAE

For UAE, opener Ashfaq Ahmed scored 79 off just 51 balls while rest of the batsmen failed to put up a decent contribution. After Ashfaq’s half-century, Shaiman Anwar’s 22 was the next best. Apart from Aizaz Khan’s 5/22. Left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed scalped 3/28. Right-arm fast-medium Tanwir Afzal chipped in with a wicket as well.

The platform for Hong Kong’s chase was set by openers Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath, who added 64 for the first wicket. Following the first wicket, Hong Kong lost three more wickets in quick succession. Rath along with Christopher Carter steadied the ship and took their side close to the target. In last over, Hong Kong eventually reached the target with three balls to spare. Meanwhile, as Hong Kong qualify for the Asia Cup 2018, here’s a look few things you need to know about the Hong Kong cricket team. Asia Cup Cricket 2018 Schedule in PDF Download: Time Table and Venue of Asia Cup Cricket Including India vs Pakistan Fixture

# Asia Cup Participation: This will be the third Asia Cup participation for Hong Kong. They have earlier participated in 2004 and 2008 editions. In 2004 Asia Cup, they lost matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan and thus were eliminated from the tournament. In 2008 edition, Hong Kong faced the similar fate and were handed defeats by India and Pakistan.

# Hong Kong ODI Summary: Hong Kong, who do not have ODI status now, have played 24 ODI matches. Out of these, they have managed to win just nine matches defeating teams like Papua New Guinea, Scotland and UAE twice while Afghanistan once.

# Highest Total: Hong Kong’s highest team total in ODIs is 323 for four against Papua New Guinea. It came during the ICC World Cricket League Championship 2017 match in Dubai. Hong Kong then restricted PNG to 230 and won the match by 93 runs.

# Highest Individual Score by a Batsman: Left-handed opening batsman Anshuman Rath in the aforementioned match scored unbeaten 143 and that happens to be the highest score by Hong Kong batsman in ODIs. Rath faced 137 deliveries for his unbeaten knock and smashed nine fours and three sixes. Asia Cup 2018: Indian Cricket Team's History and Past Performances at the Tournament

# Best Bowling Figures: In March this year, off-break bowler Kinchit Shah during an ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier match scalped 4/10 in just 3.2 overs to register best bowling figures by a Hong Kong bowler.

After having qualified for the Asia Cup 2018, Hong Kong will join India and Pakistan in Group A. Hong Kong will open their 2018 Asia Cum campaign against Pakistan on September 16 before taking on India on September 18. Meanwhile, it is not sure whether Hong Kong will get temporary ODI status for Asia Cup 2018 matches or not.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2018 01:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).