Afghanistan beat Australia by 4 wickets to win first Hong Kong Sixes title

Afghanistan won their first Hong Kong Sixes title on Sunday, beating Australia by four wickets in the final at the Mission Road ground. Australia had posted 115/4 in six overs, and Afghanistan reached the target in 5.1 overs.

Under captain Gulbadin Naib, Afghanistan became the eighth country to win the prestigious trophy. Pakistan, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Australia and West Indies have won the title before.

Batting first, Australia made 115/4 in their six overs. Max Bryant hit a blistering 44 off just 14 balls. Alex Rees contributed an unbeaten 29 and Nick Hobson added 23, taking Australia to a challenging total. Karim Janat and Nangeyalia Kharote took one wicket each for Afghanistan.

In reply, Afghanistan chased the target comfortably, winning on 119/2 with five balls to spare. Imran Mir gave the side a strong start with an unbeaten 53 off just 14 balls, including seven sixes and two fours. The innings gave Afghanistan complete control of the match.

Farmanullah Safi followed with an unbeaten 26 off seven balls, including four sixes. Captain Gulbadin Naib also played an important role in the chase, adding 17 off six balls with the help of two sixes.

Afghanistan's run began in their first Group A match, in which they beat South Africa by three wickets, successfully chasing a target of 108. They then beat Oman by four wickets. Oman had been restricted to 120, and Afghanistan completed the chase in 5.23 overs.

In the semi-final, Afghanistan beat Scotland by 21 runs, scoring 121 and holding Scotland to 100. That took the team into the final, where they beat a strong side like Australia to end the tournament with a win.