Afghanistan Thrashes Hong Kong In Asia Cup Opener

Afghanistan Thrashes Hong Kong In Asia Cup Opener: The Afghanistan Cricket Team thrashed Hong Kong in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2025. A 94-run win in their first match of the competition is a major step for Afghanistan towards a place in the playoffs in the T20 format competition.

The 2025 ACC Asia Cup commenced in the UAE on September 9th. The first match was a Group B game between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. Played in the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the match saw the Afghans, captained by Rashid Khan, win the toss and decide to bat first.

Afghanistan Thrashes Hong Kong In Asia Cup Opener

The pair of Sediqullah Atal and star wicketkeeper/batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz opened the batting. The two got the team off to a flying start, scoring 19 runs in the first two overs. However, after a six off the first ball of the third over, Gurbaz tried to run down the pitch and hit another one on the next ball but mistimed an outswinger by Ayush Shukla, getting caught at mid-off for eight runs, 25/1.

The next wicket came an over later as Ibrahim Zadran, who had been in fine form before this tournament, got caught by the wicketkeeper for just one run, 26/2.

In some trouble, Afghanistan needed a decent partnership to take the wheel here, and that is exactly what happened. Atal, who had come out to open, formed a 51-run partnership with the veteran Mohammad Nabi. The two not only took their side past the 75-run mark but also ensured that no wickets fell till the 10th over. When Nabi departed, the score was 77/3 in 10.1 overs.

However, another wicket fell quickly after, as Gulbadin Naib departed for five at the end of the 14th over, with the score being 95/4. But it is from this point that the Afghanistan innings truly picked up. The incoming Azmatullah Omarzai took charge of setting the pace of the inning.

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Around this time, Sediqullah Atal completed his half-century. An inning that anchored the Afghans saw Atal score 73 off 52. On the other hand, Omarzai was hitting the ball like there was no tomorrow. 

By the time he was dismissed in the 19th over, he had made 53 runs off just 21 deliveries, while the team score was 177/5. The innings would end at a solid score of 188/6.

The Hong Kong innings did not pan out nearly as well, as the minnows were blown away by the might of the Afghan bowling attack. The HK opening pair of Zeeshan Ali and Anshuman Rath were back in the pavilion inside the first two overs, with Rath getting out for a golden duck.

A third wicket fell in the third over, while the fourth fell soon after. At the end of the powerplay, Hong Kong were reeling at 23/4. By 10 overs, things had not improved, as the score was 43/5. By this time, Hong Kong had no chance of winning the match and just looked to save face.

In the 13th over, the team’s only decent performer, Babar Hayat, got out for 39 off 43. Wickets kept regularly falling till the final ball of the match, with Hong Kong’s final score being 94/9 at the end of their 20, them losing the match by 94 runs.

While Gulbadin Naib was the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers, ending a three-over spell at 2/8, Azmatullah Omarzai was named the Player of the Match for his brilliant innings. It also helped that he took a wicket.

Afghanistan’s next match in the Asia Cup 2025 is against Bangladesh, where they will play for a place in the semi-final. Meanwhile. Tonight’s Asia Cup 2025 match will see India open their campaign against the UAE.

Check Out: Afghanistan Thrashes Hong Kong In Asia Cup Opener

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