Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong - Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai fifties power Afghanistan to strong total in Abu Dhabi

Afghanistan opener Sediqullah Atal kickstarted his Asia Cup campaign with an unbeaten 52-ball 73 that was the cornerstone of his team's batting effort against Hong Kong in Abhu Dhabi on Tuesday (September 9). Azmatullah Omarzai's 21=ball 53 gave the ideal finishing touch to the innings while Mohammad Nabi also chipped in with a 26-ball 33. Atal held one end up, stitching a partnership of 51 with Nabi and 82 with Omarzai to virtually bat Hong Kong out of the game.

Hong Kong's bowlers had their moments when Afghanistan's run rate was kept under check but all that became irrelevant in the last four overs of the innings. As many as 69 runs came off the last four overs with Omarzai going ballistic at Hong Kong's bowlers. Atal also got into overdrive after being sedate for most parts till then. Afghanistan lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz cheaply yet again while the in-form Ibrahim Zadran also fell cheaply, forcing Atal into a repair job with Nabi who was promoted to no.4 and this was a phase where Hong Kong's bowlers tried to put on the squeeze. Nabi did up the ante a bit but fell first ball after the drinks break. His dismissal was soon followed by that of Gulbadin Naib as Hong Kong once again started to tighten the screws.

Unfortunately for Hong Kong, they just didn't have enough spin options. The 11 overs of spin that they bowled went for just 75 runs at an economy of under seven-runs-per-over while also picking three wickets. Ehsan Khan was the standout with figures of 1-28 from his four overs that also included two death overs. Kinchit Shah with his off-breaks also proved a steady option, also picking up two wickets in the process. However, the pacers struggled, especially at the death as Omarzai and Atal went berserk. The inexperience clearly showed as Afghanistan shot up from a possible 165-170 score to a total closer to the 190-run mark. With the surface aiding spin and Afghanistan have a battery of mystery tweakers, Hong Kong have an improbable task at hand if they are to even compete in this chase.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 188/5 in 20 overs (Sediqullah Atal 73*, Azmatullah Omarzai 53; Kinchit Shah 2-24) vs Hong Kong