Asia Cup 2025: Captains speak out ahead of Afghanistan vs Hong Kong clash

The first match of the Asia Cup 2025 is set to begin between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on September 9, 2025. At the toss, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan looked ready and was quite excited for the tournament. On winning the toss, Afghanistan decided to bat first. It looks like a calculated decision since they some brilliant bowlers to defend any total that will be up on the board. Meanwhile, Hong Kong are playing the tournament after three years of wait so every opportunity will count as a lesson and learning for them. Captain Yasim Murtaza showed his excitement during the toss as well. 

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan speaks about the team and how focused they are for today's match. "We would like to bat first. It looks like a good wicket to put runs on the board, good total on the board will help the bowlers. In T20 it does not matter if you win the toss or not, but you have to give yourself the best opportunity to pick wickets in the middle period. It (tri-series final) is already behind us, we are well focused on the game today, even if we had won the final we would have focused on the game today and how to win. Just one change from the final - Darwish misses out and Gulbadin is back," said Rashid Khan during the toss. 

On the other hand, Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza was quite happy with their qualifiers' performance and hopes to replicate it here in the Asia Cup 2025. "We wanted to bowl first. I am happy to bowl. We worked hard to get here. We played good cricket in the qualifiers. As a captain I am looking forward to see how Kalhan Challu will do on the big stage," said Yasim Murtaza. 

Pitch Update

The pitch looks more in favor of the bowlers than the batters. The grass on the surface is most likely to give the turn which will be needed by the bowlers. It was a good decision to bat first and put up some runs on the board. 

AFG vs HK Playing XI

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Hong Kong (Playing XI): Zeeshan Ali(w), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza(c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan