Afghanistan are the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 champions after beating Australia by four wickets in a high-speed Cup final at Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok, on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Chasing 116 for victory in a match where every ball carried weight, Afghanistan reached 119 for 2 in just 5.1 overs, sealing the title with five balls to spare.
The win capped a day of finals in which all three of the tournament’s competitions were decided. While Afghanistan lifted the Cup, Pakistan claimed the Plate title and South Africa took the Bowl, giving the closing day a winner from three different cricketing regions and a fitting end to one of the fastest formats in the game.
Imran Mir was the star of the final. Coming in after early wickets had put Afghanistan under pressure, he produced an unbeaten 53 from just 14 balls, a knock that turned the match in the space of a few overs and earned him the Player of the Match award. Pakistan captain Abbas Afridi finished as Player of the Series with 216 runs across the tournament.
Key Takeaways
- Afghanistan beat Australia by four wickets to win the Hong Kong Sixes 2026 Cup final on November 1, 2026.
- Imran Mir smashed an unbeaten 53 off 14 balls to lead a chase of 116 that was completed in 5.1 overs.
- Pakistan won the Plate final against Oman and South Africa won the Bowl final against England on the same day.
Imran Mir Powers the Chase
Australia won the toss and batted first, posting 115 for 4 in their six overs. Max Bryant led the scoring with a quickfire 44 off 14 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes, while Nick Hobson added 23 off eight deliveries and Alex Ross remained unbeaten on 29 from 10 balls. It was a total that looked competitive in a six-over match, where a single quiet over can change everything.
Afghanistan’s reply began with early setbacks as Karim Janat and captain Gulbadin Naib fell inside the first two overs. That left the chase in the balance, but Imran Mir and Farmanullah Safi changed the course of the final with an explosive partnership that took the game away from Australia.
Imran Mir took on the Australian bowling attack from the moment he arrived, and the chase never slowed down again.
Mir attacked from the moment he arrived at the crease, while Safi provided support with an unbeaten 26 off seven balls. The pair took Afghanistan from 45 for 2 after two overs to 93 for 2 by the end of the fourth, leaving only 23 runs to get from the final two overs. Mir brought up his half-century in just 14 balls and finished unbeaten on 53, and Afghanistan reached 119 for 2 in 5.1 overs to seal the title.
The result also underlined how quickly fortunes swing in the six-a-side game. In a format where each team faces only 36 balls, there is no time to rebuild slowly, and one partnership can decide a final. Afghanistan’s middle-order response did exactly that, turning early trouble into a comfortable finish.
A Big Day for Cricket’s Shorter Formats
The Hong Kong Sixes final came on a busy weekend for short-format and red-ball cricket alike. On the same weekend, South Africa beat Australia by 176 runs in Cape Town to clinch their Test series 2-1, a reminder of how the same two nations can meet in formats that could hardly be more different. Afghanistan’s own recent form in the shortest formats has also been notable, with Rashid Khan becoming the first bowler to reach 200 T20I wickets earlier in the week.
Elsewhere in international cricket, Glenn Phillips scored 107 as New Zealand beat India by 87 runs in the fourth T20I at Eden Park, showing how individual innings continue to shape results across formats. The Hong Kong Sixes, though, compresses all of that drama into a single afternoon, with every boundary and wicket carrying far more weight than in a longer match.
- Australia posted 115 for 4, led by Max Bryant’s 44 off 14 balls.
- Imran Mir’s unbeaten 53 off 14 balls turned the final after two early Afghanistan wickets.
- Farmanullah Safi finished unbeaten on 26 off seven balls in the winning partnership.
- Pakistan beat Oman by 18 runs in the Plate final; South Africa chased 96 to beat England in the Bowl final.
- Abbas Afridi was named Player of the Series with 216 runs.
Pakistan and South Africa Win Plate and Bowl Titles
Pakistan defeated Oman by 18 runs in the Plate final to claim that trophy and finish fifth overall. South Africa beat England in the Bowl final after chasing down a target of 96, winning the Bowl title and finishing ninth overall. The three finals gave six teams something to play for on the last day, which is exactly what the tournament’s structure is designed to do.
How the Hong Kong Sixes Format Works
The Hong Kong Sixes has three separate competitions: the Cup, the Plate and the Bowl. The format ensures that every team continues playing for a title or a final position even after the group stage. The 12 participating teams are divided into four groups, and their group-stage finish decides which competition they enter for the knockout rounds.
The four group winners advance to the Cup semifinals, and the winners meet in the final to decide the overall Hong Kong Sixes champion, while the losing semifinalists contest the third-place playoff. The four teams finishing second in their groups compete for the Plate title, and the four third-placed teams enter the Bowl competition. Afghanistan won the Cup after beating Australia, Pakistan won the Plate, and South Africa won the Bowl.
What to Watch Next
Afghanistan will now carry the Hong Kong Sixes title into their next assignments, with Imran Mir’s final innings the performance the tournament will be remembered for. Australia, beaten in the final despite Bryant’s fast start, will look back on a match that slipped away in the middle overs of the chase. Pakistan and South Africa leave Hong Kong with the Plate and Bowl titles, and the tournament itself leaves with another reminder of why the six-a-side format keeps finding an audience: a whole final, decided, in barely more than five overs.