Abbas Afridi's five sixes in one over seal Pakistan's 3.5-over chase

Hong Kong Sixes 2026: Pakistan beat India by four wickets at Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok, chasing down 89 in just 3.5 overs and leaving nine balls unused. The match was effectively decided in the first over of the chase. Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi took 30 runs off Krunal Pandya's opening over, hitting five consecutive sixes with the remaining delivery producing no run. In a five-over innings, a 30-run over removes almost half the equation at a stroke. Khawaja Nafay kept the pressure on in the next over, smashing two sixes and two fours off T Natarajan, with Afridi adding a four of his own. Pakistan reached 59 for no wicket after two overs, a first-wicket partnership of 59 inside two overs. Shashank Singh broke the stand with the first ball of his over, dismissing Afridi for 35 off eight deliveries. Nafay continued, making 41 off 12 before falling to Rahul Tewatia. Pakistan lost four wickets in all but still finished with more than an over to spare. India's innings never found momentum. Captain Krunal Pandya was dismissed for a golden duck on the first ball, and Rahul Tewatia also fell for a golden duck. Nitish Rana managed 19 off 14 before retiring out, while Rahul Tripathi made nine off five. Shashank Singh was the only source of real momentum, striking 40 off 11 deliveries with five sixes and two fours. India's total came to 88, setting Pakistan a target of 89. Krunal Pandya's match encapsulated the day: 30 runs conceded in his opening over with the ball, and a golden duck with the bat. The format explains much of what happened. Six players per side, five overs per innings, and very little room for error: one over can decide a game, and one individual innings can flip the result. Taking 59 in two overs is not the same as taking 59 in four; the first gives the chasing side no time to respond. Pakistan chose the faster route. Earlier in the day Pakistan had been beaten by the United Arab Emirates by one wicket, with Khalid Shah blasting 71 off 20 balls to chase down 107. That experience reinforced the lesson: in this format, rapid scoring outweighs caution. India are scheduled to face the UAE next, with a chance to reach the semi-finals still available. But their net run rate and confidence are both under scrutiny after a defeat that was decided before the end of the first over. For India, the questions are threefold: the choice of bowler for the opening over, the collapse of the top order with two golden ducks and a retirement, and an innings structure that relied almost entirely on one batter. For Pakistan, the plan was simple and executed perfectly: take the bulk of the target inside the first two overs and leave the rest with an easy calculation. The match was over in the first over; the remaining 20 balls were merely the formal confirmation.