Ayush Shukla breaks the chase as Hong Kong beat Malaysia by seven runs on DLS

Hong Kong took the points from the opening night of Sub Regional Asia Qualifier B after rain ended Malaysia's reply with the hosts seven runs adrift of the par score

Hong Kong chose to bat at the Selangor Turf Club and posted 140 for 5, built around Zeeshan Ali's 48 from 38 balls. Malaysia had reached 72 for 5 from 10 overs when the weather closed in, and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculation left them seven short.

Seam bowler Ayush Shukla was named player of the match for figures of 3-24, all three wickets taken inside the first five overs of a chase that never found its footing.

The result leaves the host nation without a point from its opening fixture of a tournament in which only three of the six teams go through.

Zeeshan Ali holds the innings together

Hong Kong lost Anshy Rath for 13, bowled by Pavandeep Singh with the score on 33, and from there Zeeshan Ali and Reyansh Sharma added 63 for the second wicket.

Sharma was the quicker of the pair, striking three sixes in his 35 from 27 balls before he was bowled in the 13th over. Zeeshan Ali hit five fours and a six before he fell in the 15th over, the fourth wicket to go down.

Shahid Wasif finished unbeaten on 17 from 14 balls to push Hong Kong past 140.

Vijay Unni pegs Hong Kong back

Malaysia's best work came through Vijay Unni, whose four overs of spin cost 16 runs and brought three wickets.

He removed Sharma, then had Babar Hayat caught for 5 and Zeeshan Ali caught by Aqeel Wahid, a sequence that took Hong Kong from 96 for 1 to 105 for 4 in the space of three overs.

Virandeep Singh conceded 19 from his four overs and took the wicket of Yasim Murtaza, leaving Hong Kong with a total that looked a little under par on a dry, batting surface.

Syed Aziz gives the chase its shape

Syed Aziz answered with 40 from 21 balls, seven fours and a six, and for a time Malaysia were ahead of where they needed to be.

They had lost Nazmus Sakib in the first over to Shukla, who then had Aqeel Wahid caught and bowled for 12 and trapped Virandeep Singh lbw for 1 to reduce the hosts to 34 for 3.

Aziz kept going until the seventh over, when Ehsan Khan had him caught by Hassan Khan Mohammad at 61 for 4. Khan's two overs cost seven runs.

Rain settles it at 10 overs

Mohammad Ghazanfar had Muhamad Syahadat lbw for 8 in the ninth over, and Malaysia were 72 for 5 at the end of the 10th when the players left the field.

Play did not resume, and the DLS par score at that point of the innings was seven runs above what the hosts had managed.

Shukla bowled three of the 10 overs, more than any other Hong Kong bowler got through in an innings cut to half its length.

Three places from six teams

Qualifier B is a single round robin between Hong Kong, Malaysia, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and China, and the ICC has confirmed that the top three progress to the next stage of the Asia qualification pathway in 2027, where six places at next year's regional final are at stake.

"We are honoured to host these important events on the road to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2028," said Mahinda Vallipuram, president of the Malaysian Cricket Association, before the tournament began.

The other two matches on the opening day went to Maldives, who beat China by 10 wickets, and Saudi Arabia, who beat Singapore by 75 runs.

Malaysia face Saudi Arabia at the Bayuemas Oval on Friday, while Hong Kong meet China at the UKM Oval.

Scorecard: Hong Kong 140 for 5 (Zeeshan Ali 48, Reyansh Sharma 35; Vijay Unni 3-16) beat Malaysia 72 for 5 in 10 overs (Syed Aziz 40; Ayush Shukla 3-24) by seven runs on DLS.

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