Afghanistan face Australia in the Hong Kong Sixes Cup final after contrasting semi-final wins

Afghanistan and Australia, winners of their respective groups, meet at Mission Road Ground on Sunday for the Hong Kong Sixes Cup final

Gulbadin Naib and Chris Green lead sides that reached the decider by very different routes. Australia overwhelmed the United Arab Emirates by 53 runs in the first Cup semi-final; Afghanistan had to hold off Scotland, winning by 21.

The Cup final is the headline act on the closing day of the 22nd edition of the tournament, which began on 30 October with twelve teams split into four groups of three.

Australia topped Group A with a net run rate of +5.500, the best figure in the competition. Afghanistan came through Group D at +1.995.

Bryant and Hobson tear into the UAE

Australia's semi-final was effectively settled inside the first two overs. Max Bryant and Jack Wood put on 62 for the opening wicket, and Bryant went on to make 60 off 15 balls.

Nick Hobson followed with 53 off 11, carrying Australia to 141 for 3 from their six overs.

The reply never threatened. The UAE were dismissed for 88 in 5.3 overs, with captain Chris Green and Alex Ross taking two wickets each.

It was a heavy fall for a side that had beaten India by six wickets in the group stage, knocking off a target of 95 in 4.2 overs.

Gulbadin Naib holds Afghanistan together

Afghanistan's route was tighter. Set in first against Scotland, they reached 121 for 4, with Gulbadin Naib unbeaten on 51 from 16 balls and Karim Janat striking 37 from 9.

Scotland closed on 100 for 3. Jack Jarvis finished 54 not out from 17 balls, but the asking rate had moved beyond a side that needed boundaries from both ends.

Afghanistan had shown the same chasing power in Group D, running down 121 against Oman in 5.2 overs through Sediqullah Pacha's 45 not out off 10 and Farmanullah Safi's 37 not out off 11.

That chase came after Oman's Usman Ali had made 71 not out from 17 balls with ten sixes, one of the innings of the tournament.

Six overs, seven players, retire at 50

The Sixes format compresses the game to six six-ball overs per side and seven players per team, and it shapes the tactics of a final.

Every fielder except the wicketkeeper must bowl an over, so a captain cannot hide a weaker bowler. One bowler may take a second over, provided the two are not consecutive.

A batter who reaches 50 must retire not out and cannot retire before that, which caps what any one player can do and forces sides to spread their scoring.

An innings also ends at the sixth wicket rather than the seventh, with the last recognised batter continuing alongside a runner once five are down.

Squads pared back to seven

Afghanistan have named Gulbadin Naib as captain alongside Farmanullah Safi, Imran Mir, Abdul Rahman, Karim Janat, Nangeyalia Kharote and Sediqullah Pacha.

Australia are led by Chris Green, with Jack Wood, Max Bryant, Alex Ross, Nick Hobson, Matt Kelly and Kane Richardson completing the seven.

With no room for a specialist to sit out, both finals sides go in with the same group that carried them through the knockouts.

Three finals to close the tournament

The Cup final is one of three deciders on the final card. England meet South Africa in the Bowl final, while Oman face Pakistan for the Plate.

India's tournament ended outside the main brackets. They beat Bangladesh in the 11th place play-off, reaching 117 for 1 in reply to 116 for 5 to win by five wickets off the last ball.

South Africa and England reached the Bowl final through a last-ball win over Bangladesh and a three-run win over India, the tightest finishes of the knockout stage.

Cup final: Afghanistan v Australia, Mission Road Ground, Hong Kong, from 07:10 GMT.

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