Pavandeep, Amir silence Hong Kong in Malaysia's comprehensive Group B victory

Malaysia won by 8 wickets (with 48 balls remaining)

(File photo) Allrounder Muhamad Syahadat, bowling here, scored 36 runs with the bat in Malaysia's chase  •  Peter Della Penna

Malaysia 84 for 2 (Syahadat 36*, Virandeep 32*, Rana 2-23) beat Hong Kong 81 for 9 (Mathur 29, Pavandeep 3-11, Amir 3-12) by eight wickets

An unbeaten 70-run partnership between Muhamad Syahadat and Virandeep Singh sealed the chase of 82 with eight overs to spare.

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Hong Kong made a poor start after experienced batters Anshy Rath and Babar Hayat fell for ducks. Things went from bad to worse in the sixth over, when Pavandeep took three wickets in six balls, with Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza and wicketkeeper Shahid Wasif also dismissed for zero. With four of their top six batters not troubling the scorers, Hong Kong limped to 81 for 9 in 20 overs.

Malaysia lost both openers to Hong Kong bowler Nasrullah Rana in the second over, but Virandeep - Pavandeep's brother - joined Syahadat to ensure there were no further hiccups. The pair hit five fours and four sixes between them, wrapping up the game with eight overs to spare and giving Malaysia a significant net-run-rate boost that could matter in the race for quarter-final qualification.