Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, Asia Cup 2025 Highlights: Afghanistan win by 94 runs in tournament opener

Fazalhaq Farooqi to Anshy Rath, OUT! EDGED AND CAUGHT BEHIND! Anshy Rath looks skeptical and has a bit of a chat with his partner, but eventually, starts his long walk back to the dugout. Afghanistan get their first wicket in the very first over. Fazalhaq Farooqi lands it on a back of a length, and gets the ball to shape away from the fourth stump line. Anshy Rath without any foot movement, hangs his bat away from the body and pushes at it. Only manages to get a faint graze off the glove and Rahmanullah Gurbaz does the rest behind the wickets. A regulation catch for him. Anshy Rath departs on a golden duck and Hong Kong, China are 1/1, needing 188 runs! Oh..wow! The replay and UltraEdge after the ball show that there is a big gap between bat and ball, and the spike is also after the ball has passed the bat. Rath is furious in the hut and will not be happy with his opening partner, who insisted that he had nicked it.

Fazalhaq Farooqi to Zeeshan Ali, Zeeshan Ali and Hong Kong, China are underway in the chase! Fazalhaq Farooqi begins with a length ball, tails back on the leg stump. Zeeshan Ali lifts the front leg up and pulls it along the ground to deep square leg for a single.

We are back for the chase! The players are already out there. A big total to chase for Hong Kong, China, and their openers, Zeeshan Ali and Anshy Rath, need to deliver a quick start. Fazalhaq Farooqi to start proceedings with two slips in place. Here we go...

.... THE RUN CHASE ...

For Hong Kong, China, it was a tale of dropped catches and inexperience at the death. They started well with two early wickets, but spilling Sediqullah Atal in the first over, and twice more proved costly as he made them pay. A few other missed chances hurt too, showing the fine margins associate nations must master to compete with the big guns. They held things tight until the 16th over but then leaked runs like an open tap. Kinchit Shah was the standout with two wickets, and Ayush Shukla grabbed two but was expensive, while Ateeq Iqbal and Ehsan Khan chipped in with one each. Now their batters face a mammoth task against a fiery Afghan attack. Join us in a bit for the second essay!

The saving grace for Afghanistan was that Sediqullah Atal was still holding firm at the crease, and once Azmatullah Omarzai walked in, everything changed in a flash. The pair read the pitch beautifully and unleashed a stunning counterattack, sending the bowlers on a leather hunt. Atal brought up a well-deserved fifty, while Azmat rewrote history with the fastest T20I half-century by an Afghan batter, as the duo smacked 82 runs and piled on the misery of Hong Kong, China.

Afghanistan were rocked early, losing both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran and finding themselves in real trouble. But the decision to send in Mohammad Nabi proved a masterstroke - he blended calm composure with flashes of aggression to steady the innings. At the other end, Sediqullah Atal capitalised on the early reprieve he got in the first over, growing in confidence as the partnership blossomed. The duo stitched together a vital 51-run stand before Nabi’s departure, after which Afghanistan’s momentum dipped slightly, and they found themselves grinding through a tricky phase post halfway stage.

A batting effort of two contrasting halves! Afghanistan looked scratchy early on, struggling to find their rhythm, but their seasoned campaigners steadied the ship through the middle overs. And then came the fireworks - Azmat lit up the stadium with a breathtaking maiden T20I fifty off just 20 balls, sending the crowd into a frenzy. The Afghans went absolutely ballistic at the death, hammering 69 runs in the final 4 overs to storm their way to a mammoth total.

Ehsan Khan to Sediqullah Atal, Nails in a yorker around middle and leg, does Ehsan. Atal creates room for himself and carves it to the right of the bowler for a single. 9 runs from the final over! AFGHANISTAN FINISH AT 188/6!

Ehsan Khan to Rashid Khan, Overpitched, outside off. Rashid Khan bends and carves it behind, to the left of short third. Yasim Murtaza from the inner ring gives it a chase as the ball teases him all the way to the ropes. He puts in a dive to flick the ball inside, but in this process, he slides into the ropes with the momentum. Now, the question is whether his right hand is in contact with the ball as he slides into the ropes. But the replay shows that Murtaza has done pretty well to save a run for his side.

Rashid Khan is the next man in.

Just 5 runs in this over till now, but Ehsan Khan needs to finish well here

Ehsan Khan to Karim Janat, OUT! GONE! CAUGHT! Ehsan Khan finally gets a reward for his miserly bowling. Flatter delivery, full and on the stumps. Karim Janat clears the front leg to sail it over long on, but does not quite properly get his bat under the ball and swings through. Airs the ball off the toe end and it sails only as far as Nizakat Khan stationed at long on. Karim Janat departs on 2 (3) and Afghanistan are 184/6.

Ehsan Khan to Karim Janat, WIDE! Wayward down leg, Karim Janat moves out of the way to leave. Wide called.

Ehsan Khan to Sediqullah Atal, Tossed up, drifting on the leg stump, Atal drives this full ball to the right of long on for an easy single.

Ehsan Khan to Sediqullah Atal, Full and dropped around off, Sediqullah Atal creates room by backing away and smashes it to the left of deep point for a couple of runs.

Ehsan Khan to Karim Janat, Very full, on middle, Janat drills it down to long on for a single.

Who will bowl the last over? It will be Ehsan Khan. Can he keep the Afghans under 190 here?

Ayush Shukla to Karim Janat, Outside leg, a slower ball, at 104.7 kph, Karim Janat clips it along the ground to deep mid-wicket for a single. 24 runs off the penultimate over! 35 runs in the last two for Afghanistan!

Ayush Shukla to Karim Janat, WIDE! Sprayed outside the tramline, on the off side, on a good length. Karim Janat tries to push it away, but misses to lay bat on ball. Wide given!

Karim Janat comes out to the middle now.

Ayush Shukla to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! HIGH UP AND GONE! TAKEN! Ayush Shukla gets his second wicket and is pumped up to bits! Another slower delivery, outside the off stump, on a fuller length. Azmatullah Omarzai swings for the hills, to go up and over the leg side, but gets beaten by the lack of pace. Is through his shot early, and toe ends it high up in the air. The ball hangs up for an eternity, toward long on. Aizaz Khan from the deep runs in a few yards, locks his eyes on the ball and takes a well-judged catch. Azmatullah Omarzai departs for a blistering 53 off just 21 deliveries. Afghanistan are 177/5 in 18.5 overs.

Ayush Shukla to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! Deftly played! MAIDEN T20I FIFTY FOR OMARZAI! Off just 20 deliveries! Ayush Shukla slips in a full toss, from around the stumps, on middle. Azmatullah Omarzai stands upright, just arches back and opens the bat face very late. Pins the gap between the keeper and the short third fielder for a boundary.  This is deemed a fair delivery as it is clearly below waist height. Also, this is the fastest fifty by any Afghan batter, in terms of balls played.

Ayush Shukla to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! HAT TRICK OF SIXES FOR AZMAT! This is now his highest score in T20Is! Off cutter, into the pitch, outside off. Azmatullah Omarzai has all the time to wait back, and heave it over deep mid-wicket for another half a dozen runs! Hong Kong, China bleeding runs at the death!

Ayush Shukla to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! Fabulous ball-striking! Fuller now from Ayush, just around off. Azmatullah Omarzai clears the front leg and swings through the line. Cleanly hits it over deep cover for a 90-meter six.

Ayush Shukla to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! HUGE STRIKE! Slower delivery, on top of middle, on the shorter side. Azmatullah Omarzai charges down the track, creates room and flat bats it down the ground for a powerful six.

Ehsan Khan to Azmatullah Omarzai, Too full, on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai smashes it down to long off for a single. 11 off this over. 36 from the last two overs for the Afghans!

Ehsan Khan to Azmatullah Omarzai, Yorker, just outside the off pole. Azmatullah Omarzai swings with all his might, but gets beaten on the outside edge.

Ehsan Khan to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! Rubbing salt on wounds! On a length, on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai heaves it powerfully, across the line, and behind deep mid-wicket for a huge six.

Ehsan Khan to Azmatullah Omarzai, DROPPED ONCE AGAIN! Oh, dear me! Floated full and on middle. Azmatullah Omarzai tries to clear long off, but mistimes it in the air. The ball dips in front of long off. The fielder runs in a few yards, dives forward but puts it down. Two taken.

Ehsan Khan to Sediqullah Atal, Bowled into the batter, full and on leg, Sediqullah Atal charges down the track and drills it to the right of long on for a single.

Ehsan Khan to Azmatullah Omarzai, Fuller delivery, outside off, sliced over mid off for a single. The 50-run partnership is up between these two as well!

Change. Ehsan Khan (2-0-8-0) is back on. After that big last over, Afghanistan have set up a good platform to go big in the last three overs and get to somewhere near 170-175, which will be very hard to chase down here.

Ateeq Iqbal to Sediqullah Atal, FOUR! Around off, slipped as a full toss. Sediqullah Atal sits across and takes it on the full. Sweeps it behind square on the leg side for a boundary. This is Sediqullah Atal's highest T20I score now. A very expensive one from Ateeq Iqbal. 25 runs off this over! His figures read 3-1-32-1.

Ateeq Iqbal to Sediqullah Atal, WIDE! Full and outside off, in fact, outside the guideline. Wide called.

Ateeq Iqbal to Azmatullah Omarzai, Sloppy! Miles outside off, beyond the tramline on a length. Omarzai lets it be. The ball pops off from the keeper's gloves and drops behind, to the left of short third. They cross.

Ateeq Iqbal to Sediqullah Atal, Spots Atal shuffling across off, Iqbal throws it wide outside off, on a fullish length. Atal carves it to deep point for a single.

Ateeq Iqbal to Sediqullah Atal, SIX! This is brilliant batting! He has switched the gears now! Good length, on the off stump line. Sediqullah Atal covers the stumps by shuffling across, and pulls it handsomely over deep mid-wicket for a cracking six!

Ateeq Iqbal to Sediqullah Atal, SIX! That has traveled a good distance! On middle and leg, on a good length. Sediqullah Atal picks it up nicely and heaves it behind deep square leg for a huge six.

Ateeq Iqbal to Azmatullah Omarzai, Full, around off, slogged to deep mid-wicket for a single.

Ateeq Iqbal to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! Back of a length, outside off. Azmatullah Omarzai stays back and cuts it powerfully to the left of backward point for a boundary. 

Yasim Murtaza to Sediqullah Atal, DROPPED! Ehsan Khan is the culprit as he drops an absolute sitter. Points out the floodlights coming into his sight. Sediqullah Atal, on 51, has been dropped twice now. This is full and on the stumps, Sediqullah Atal switches his stance to play the reverse sweep, but is through his shot very early. Only manages to get a leading edge towards short third. Ehsan Khan misjudges the trajectory as the ball swirls onto him and just puts it down. 

Yasim Murtaza to Sediqullah Atal, Too full, at 86 kph, on middle, shoveled back to the bowler by Sediqullah.

Yasim Murtaza to Azmatullah Omarzai, Drags the length back, on off, Omarzai works it to the right of the diving bowler for a single.

Yasim Murtaza to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! Gets all of it! Dropped full and sliding into the batter. Azmatullah Omarzai reads the length early, gets down on his knee and slogs it powerfully behind deep mid-wicket for half a dozen runs!

Yasim Murtaza to Sediqullah Atal, In-drifter, full and on middle. Sediqullah Atal skips down the track and drills it down to long on for a single.

Yasim Murtaza to Azmatullah Omarzai, On a length, slower on middle. Azmatullah Omarzai hangs back and tucks it across to deep mid-wicket for an easy single.

Change? No, Yasim Murtaza to bowl out here. He has conceded just 14 runs in his 3 overs. Also, it is so warm out there, and the batters are taking a short break to take in some fluids to get a bit of energy back. We are good to go again.

Kinchit Shah to Sediqullah Atal, FIFTY FOR SEDIQULLAH ATAL! His 3rd T20I half-century! This is flat and quick, outside off, on a length. Sediqullah Atal rocks back and cuts it off the back foot to deep extra cover for a couple of runs. A fifty off 41 deliveries. Offered a reprieve in the very first over, he has adjusted to the conditions nicely and will aim to bat till the end.

Kinchit Shah to Sediqullah Atal, At 86 kph, full and outside off. This one spins in a touch and beats the inside edge of Atal who looks to cut it away.