Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan begin campaign with huge win over Hong Kong in 1st match

Afghanistan began their Asia Cup 2025 campaign in style, defeating Hong Kong by a huge margin in the tournament opener. A dominant all-round show set the tone for Afghanistan’s title hunt.

Afghanistan vs Hong Kong (Image Credit: ACB)

Afghanistan started their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a huge win over Hong Kong in the first match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. They won the match by 94 runs. While all eyes were on Hong Kong, it was a total failure by the entire team. They dropped five catches in the first innings and the batters failed to put up a decdent performance in the second.

This match should be a lesson for the team to come up with better efforts in the upcoming matches. It was Afghanistan's decision to bat first which turned out in their favour as they scored 188 runs in the first innings.

Sediqullah Atal's unbeaten 73 off 52 balls, including six boundaries and three sixes, Mohammad Nabi's 33 off 26 balls, and Azmatullah Omarzai's 53 off 21 balls, including two boundaries and five sixes, helped Afghanistan reach a respectable total. Ayush Shukla and Kinchit Shah took two wickets each.

When Hong Kong came to bat, they lost Anshuman Rath in the second ball of the first over. After his dismissal, the team kept losing the rest of the wickets at regular intervals. The batters lacked consistency and couldn't form the partnerships whenever it was needed.

Also read: Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan in deep trouble after losing two wickets in powerplay against Hong Kong

Babar Hayat was the only batter who scored 39 runs. Apart from him, none of the other batters crossed the 20-run mark which is quite disappointing. For Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib claimed two wickets each. With the win, Afghanistan registered their name in the book of records.

Now, they are the third team to have registered a win with a biggest margin in the Asia Cup history. Moreover, their fielding needs to improve as well since they dropped three catches in the second innings. Overall, it was a brilliant effort by the entire team and a great start to the tournament. The NRR will help them as the tournament gets more competitive in the future.

Also read: Sediqullah Atal’s brilliant knock guides Afghanistan to 188 in Asia Cup 2025 opener vs Hong Kong

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