Krishna Lakhani, who was named man of the match, was the standout bowler with four wickets, while captain Yodhin Punja and Aryan Lakra each claimed three as Hong Kong were all out for 168 in 48 overs.

The UAE lost Lakra (20), Ali Mirza (29) and Fahad Nawaz (36). But the hosts were always in control at the ICC Academy as unbeaten knocks from Jonathan Figy (33) and Lakhani (26) saw them home inside 40 overs.

Lakra, the youngest member of the 16-man squad, was delighted to get off to a winning start.

“We bowled pretty well and we never let them score runs,” he said. “We had the upper hand early on in the match and when they were six wickets down, they still scored runs but once we got the wickets it was hard for Hong Kong to come back.

“We knew it was going to be a hard match as they are a strong side. The conditions were not easy as it was hot for all of us. It was good team effort.”

The two teams meet again on Wednesday in the second encounter and Lakra hopes to carry on his good form.

“It was a pretty good game for me as a UAE national player,” said Lakra. “Now having won the match, I hope I can continuing playing well and inspire the UAE to more victories.”