Pakistan (PAK) lost their opening match in Asia Cup 2022 against India (IND) last Sunday. Babar Azam-led side will now face minnows Hong Kong (HK) next, on September 02. The match is being much talked about for the fact that it's an important encounter for Pakistan and a win against Hong Kong on Friday will guarantee Green Shirts the ticket to Super 4 round of Asia Cup 2022. But it doesn't end here, as Pakistan defeating Hong Kong will then pave the way for another India vs Pakistan confrontation on September 04 (Sunday) in Super 4. Pakistan vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2022 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head to Head and Other Things You Need to Know About PAK vs HK Cricket Match in Sharjah.

Pakistan in their last group match against India gave reasonable fight to Indian batters. Unfortunately, Pakistani pacers struggled a lot due to cramps and thus, were unable to contain the Indian middle-order from scoring. The upcoming match is very crucial for Pakistan as mentioned earlier and a lot needs to be kept in mind before selecting an ideal eleven against Hong Kong. While slight changes in the Pakistani team are expected ahead of their second decisive group match, here are our three players from Pakistan who are a significant threat to the opposition and should be watched out for.

Mohammad Rizwan: The 30-year-old wicket-keeper batter, Rizwan remained the top run-getter against India in the last match as he scored 43 off 42. Mohammad Rizwan has established his place in the team, more as an opener since long now, whose international career once appeared to break off years ago. It would be thought that T20 isn't Rizwan's format to play, however in 2021 the wicket-keeper batter amassed the most number of T20 runs in a year by any player to silence one and all. As Hong Kong take on Pakistan on Friday, Rizwan will be a player from Pakistan to watch out for. Is Pakistan vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2022 Cricket Match Free Live Streaming Online Available or Not?

Babar Azam: The Pakistani skipper is currently the top batsman across formats. Though his game against India in the previous match was disappointing, he still remains the potential threat to the Hong Kong team given his tremendous strike rate of 129.36 in T20I format. Babar Azam is the main anchor to the Pakistani batting line-up and considered to be the match winner for the team. Apart from his batting prowess, the 27-year-old has led his side to various historic victories due to his modern day progressive mindset as a captain. Hong Kong will be very much wary of Babar and won't miss him among the players to watch out for.

Naseem Shah: The 19-year-old young lad had it all against India last Sunday in his first ever T20 international. Naseem clinched an early wicket in first over against India, which stirred up the hope of win among the fans.The speedster scalped two crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav in his sensational spell of four overs and 27 runs. Even though Shah suffered cramps in his last over, the young pacer continued bowling till his last ball. He will be the crucial player for Pakistan against Hong Kong and a player to watch out for.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 01, 2022 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).