The Italians were ruthless early with the ball despite losing the toss, with Ali Hasan claiming the prized wicket of Hong Kong mainstay Anshy Rath for a duck in the first over, and Jaspreet Singh dismissing fellow opener Martin Coetzee (9) early on.
The loss of Babar Hayat (17) and Yasim Murtaza had Hong Kong precariously sat at 64/5, and despite a fighting response from Zeeshan Ali (57) and Shahid Wasif (50), Hong Kong fell to 174 all out in the final over.
Despite the loss of early wickets and runs hard to come by on the surfaces in Tanzania over the course of the Challenge League leg, Italy’s chase went to script. Marcus Campopiano’s 74 not out anchored the chase, with the Manenti brothers of Harry (39) and Ben (50) providing priceless contributions.
Ben’s stay of just 32 balls ensured no late run rate nerves for the Italians, who eventually reached the target in 46 overs.
The result meant that neither the Italians or Uganda need victory on the final day of competition, where they face Tanzania and Bahrain respectively.
Uganda had their been pegged back earlier in recent action with defeats to Hong Kong and Italy, though a victory against Singapore on August 15 prevented a final leg slide.
