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Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai powered Afghanistan to 188, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib led the bowlers in a 94-run Asia Cup win over Hong Kong.
Azmatullah Omarzai’s all-round brilliance was key to Afghanistan’s win over Hong Kong.
(AFP Photo)
Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai struck impressive fifties, while the bowlers supported them with a disciplined performance, as Afghanistan comfortably defeated Hong Kong by 94 runs to kick off their Asia Cup campaign with a win on Tuesday.
After overcoming early setbacks, Atal (73 not out off 52 balls) and Omarzai (53 off 21 balls) led Afghanistan to a total of 188 for six, effectively sealing the victory.
Afghan bowlers, led by Fazalhaq Farooqi (2/16) and Gulbadin Naib (2/8), completed the job, restricting Hong Kong to 94 for nine.
Hong Kong’s chase never gained momentum, losing four wickets within the Power Play, leaving them at 23 for four.
The pressure was apparent, leading to two unnecessary run outs of Nizakat Khan and Kalhan Challu.
Challu was out of his crease when Omarzai’s delivery hit the stumps before he could return.
Opener Anshuman Rath was their main hope for a solid start but was dismissed on the second ball of the innings, caught behind by Rahmanullah Gurbaz off Farooqi’s delivery.
With the top four batsmen contributing very little, Hong Kong’s middle and lower order struggled against the experienced Afghan bowlers.
Babar Hayat top-scored for Hong Kong with 39 off 43 balls, but it was not enough to pose a significant challenge.
Earlier, Atal and Omarzai helped Afghanistan recover from their top-order struggles against slower deliveries to post a competitive total.
They read the pitch well and played accordingly, waiting for their opportunities to play aggressively.
Atal started with several boundaries during the Power Play after Afghanistan chose to bat first but soon adopted a steadier pace.
He reached his third T20I fifty in 41 balls, with only one big shot—a pull over mid-wicket for six off off-spinner Kinchit Shah—between the 5th and 13th overs.
Shah deserves credit for restricting the hard-hitting Afghan batsmen with a series of undercutters, which they struggled to read or play around for singles.
Mohammad Nabi (33 off 26 balls) took some time to find his rhythm, but once he did, he hit pacer Aizaz Khan for a four and six in consecutive balls.
However, Nabi’s promising innings ended when he tried to clear the long-off fielder, and Nizakat Khan took a simple catch, breaking the 51-run stand for the third wicket, leaving Afghanistan at 95 for four after 13 overs.
Atal was fortunate when Ehsan Khan dropped a straightforward catch at short third man off left-arm spinner Yasim Murtaza, while he was on 51. He then added 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Omarzai, who smashed pacer Ayush Shukla for three sixes and a four in the 19th over.
Atal continued to attack, hitting pacer Ateeq Iqbal for two consecutive sixes and a paddle sweep for four, helping Afghanistan gain momentum and score 25 runs from the 17th over and 78 runs in the last five overs.
Overall, Hong Kong’s fielding also faltered in the later stages of the innings, as they dropped a catch off Omarzai.
(With PTI Inputs)
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses, features, live scores, results, stats and everything that’s cricket from all over the globe. Follow @cricketnext
September 10, 2025, 00:23 IST
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