Karachi: Pakistan secured a place in the Women's Asia Cup semi-finals with a decisive 72-run victory over Hong Kong, China, in their final Group A match. Nashra Sundhu delivered a historic six-wicket haul, restricting Hong Kong to 71 runs in response to Pakistan's 143/8 total.

According to International Cricket Council, Pakistan opted to bat first and navigated challenging conditions to make a promising start. Despite early setbacks, with Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza falling to Iqra Sahar and Kary Chan respectively, Shawaal Zulfiqar and Ayesha Zafar stabilized the innings with a 47-run partnership. Zafar hit two consecutive boundaries, while Zulfiqar remained the top scorer with 47 runs from 35 balls.

Hong Kong's Joyleen Kaur disrupted Pakistan's progress by dismissing Zafar and Zulfiqar, finishing with figures of 4/19. Contributions from Fatima Sana and Tuba Hasan helped Pakistan reach 143/8, with Sana hitting a crucial six in the final over.

Pakistan's bowlers made early inroads, with Captain Sana and Sadia Iqbal reducing Hong Kong to 1/2. Although Yasmin Daswani and Chan attempted a recovery through a 31-run stand, Sundhu's breakthrough began Hong Kong's collapse. Sundhu's remarkable spell included a maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is, ultimately finishing with 6/7.

Chan's resistance ended with her dismissal for 30 runs, and Umm-e-Hani claimed the final wicket to bowl out Hong Kong for 71 in the 19th over. Sundhu's performance marked the best bowling figures for Pakistan in Women's T20Is, surpassing previous records.

With this victory, Pakistan joins India and Sri Lanka in the semi-finals, leaving the final spot to be decided by the upcoming match between Bangladesh and UAE.