Afghanistan dominate Hong Kong in Asia Cup 2025 cricket opener

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Afghanistan statesman their Asia Cup run with a thrashing of tourney minnows Hong Kong successful Abu Dhabi.

Published On 10 Sep 2025

Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball 50 arsenic Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs successful the opening lucifer of the Asia Cup successful Abu Dhabi.

Afghanistan elected to bat archetypal and posted 188-6, with opener Sediqullah Atal playing the anchor relation with an unbeaten 73 connected Tuesday.

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His fifth-wicket concern of 82 with Omarzai, who deed 53 disconnected 21 balls, including 2 fours and 5 sixes, proved cardinal for Afghanistan successful the Group B fixture.

Afghanistan’s bowlers past combined to support Hong Kong down to 94-9.

Temperatures aboriginal connected touched 40C (104F), but it was the humidity successful the evening that tested the fittingness of the players, who took regular drinks breaks.

Hong Kong bowlers delivered 2 aboriginal blows to Afghanistan, but Atal stood steadfast to enactment connected 51 runs with seasoned Mohammad Nabi, who scored 33, arsenic the 2 counter-attacked.

Off-spinner Kinchit Shah broke the basal to disregard Nabi, but Atal raised the run-rate with Omarzai, who deed his archetypal T20I 50 – the fastest by an Afghan batter – with 3 sixes and a 4 earlier his departure.

Hong Kong, whose fielders dropped 5 catches, were ne'er successful the pursuit aft they slipped to 22-4 wrong 5 overs, including 2 run-outs.

Afghanistan were playing little than 48 hours aft their nonaccomplishment to Pakistan successful the last of a tri-series successful Sharjah connected Sunday.

Their adjacent Asia Cup fixture is against Bangladesh connected September 16.

Tournament favourites India statesman their run successful Group A connected Wednesday erstwhile they look hosts United Arab Emirates successful Dubai.

India and Pakistan conscionable connected September 14 successful the most-awaited lucifer of the Twenty20 tournament, which serves arsenic a build-up for adjacent year’s T20 World Cup successful India and Sri Lanka.