Afghanistan start their Asia Cup marketing campaign with a thrashing of event minnows Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.
Printed On 10 Sep 2025
Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs within the opening match of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Afghanistan elected to bat first and posted 188-6, with opener Sediqullah Atal enjoying the anchor position with an unbeaten 73 on Tuesday.
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His fifth-wicket partnership of 82 with Omarzai, who hit 53 off 21 balls, together with two fours and 5 sixes, proved key for Afghanistan within the Group B fixture.
Afghanistan’s bowlers then mixed to maintain Hong Kong all the way down to 94-9.
Temperatures early on touched 40C (104F), however it was the humidity within the night that examined the health of the gamers, who took common drinks breaks.
Hong Kong bowlers delivered two early blows to Afghanistan, however Atal stood agency to placed on 51 runs with veteran Mohammad Nabi, who scored 33, as the 2 counter-attacked.
Off-spinner Kinchit Shah broke the stand to dismiss Nabi, however Atal raised the run-rate with Omarzai, who hit his first T20I fifty – the quickest by an Afghan batter – with three sixes and a 4 earlier than his departure.
Hong Kong, whose fielders dropped 5 catches, have been by no means within the chase after they slipped to 22-4 inside 5 overs, together with two run-outs.
Afghanistan have been enjoying lower than 48 hours after their loss to Pakistan within the closing of a tri-series in Sharjah on Sunday.
Their subsequent Asia Cup fixture is in opposition to Bangladesh on September 16.
Event favourites India start their marketing campaign in Group A on Wednesday after they face hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai.
India and Pakistan meet on September 14 within the most-awaited match of the Twenty20 event, which serves as a build-up for subsequent yr’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
