The Asia Cup 2025 kicked off with a match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan secured a convincing victory, starting the tournament on a high note. Hong Kong’s performance was disappointing, struggling with both their bowling and batting. Afghanistan won the match by 94 runs.
Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai played explosive innings.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, posting a substantial score. Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai’s half-century partnerships propelled Afghanistan to 188 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs. Sediqullah Atal remained unbeaten with 73 runs off 52 balls, including 6 fours and 3 sixes, with a strike rate of 140.38. Azmatullah Omarzai played a blistering knock, reaching his half-century in just 20 balls and scoring 53 runs with a strike rate of 252.38, hitting 2 fours and 5 sixes. Mohammad Nabi also contributed with 33 runs.
From Hong Kong’s side, Kinchit Shah was the most successful bowler, taking 2 wickets for 24 runs in 3 overs. Ayush Shukla also took 2 wickets but conceded 54 runs in 4 overs. Ateeq Iqbal and Ehsan Khan each claimed 1 wicket.
Afghan bowling also shines.
After setting a big target, the Afghan bowlers also performed admirably. They dismissed 4 Hong Kong batsmen in the powerplay, putting Hong Kong on the back foot. Hong Kong was unable to recover and could not even score 100 runs in 20 overs, losing 9 wickets for 94 runs. Babar Hayat top-scored with 39 runs, while no other player managed to reach 20 runs. Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi took 2 wickets each for Afghanistan. Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad also took 1 wicket each.