Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

Sediqullah Atal
73(52) 6x4 - 3x6
Control %78%
  • Productive Shot
  • pull
  • 22 runs
  • 1x4 - 3x6
8 1 2 10 20 8 9 15
Azmatullah Omarzai
Azmatullah Omarzai
53(21) 2x4 - 5x6
Control %86%
  • Productive Shot
  • pull
  • 12 runs
  • 0x4 - 2x6
4 0 0 5 10 5 7 22

Best performances - Bowlers

Gulbadin Naib
Gulbadin Naib
O3
M0
R8
W2
Eco2.66
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Fazalhaq Farooqi
O3
M0
R16
W2
Eco5.33
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W

Match Details

Toss

Afghanistan , elected to bat first

Player Of The Match

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

18.30 start, First Session 18.30-20.00, Interval 20.00-20.20, Second Session 20.20-21.50

Match days

9 September 2025 - night match (20-over match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Points

Afghanistan 2, Hong Kong 0

Scorer: Sudeep Poojar | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

END OF OVER:
20 | 1 Run 1 Wkt | HKG: 94/9 (95 runs required, RR: 4.70)

  • Ayush Shukla1 (2b)
  • Ateeq Iqbal1 (3b)
  • Fazalhaq Farooqi3-0-16-2
  • Gulbadin Naib3-0-8-2

10:40pm That will be all from us for tonight. We will be back again tomorrow with more Asia Cup action as India open their campaign against the UAE. Until then, from Sudeep, Thilak and myself (Shashwat), this is goodbye!

Azmatullah Omarzai, Player of the Match: Very tough batting in the lower order, all about belief. The captain and coach have belief in me, was trying to back myself and was trying to hit straight with the ball coming on nice. We lost early wickets, so I was just speaking to Sediqullah that we will bat till the 16th and then look for boundaries. We were looking to hit straight and were looking for our favourite balls (to hit). (On if he is a bowling or batting all-rounder) I think I am both. When I get bowling, I feel I am a proper bowler; when I bat, I feel I am a proper batter. It is 50-50 (smiles)

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan captain: It was great. Good to put a total on the board. In the last series as well, (losing) early wickets - that is very key for us and we have to look into it. Upcoming games are very important and that is an area if we can make it better
overall, it was a great performance. That (middle order coming good) was something I wanted to see, especially Azmatullah (and his innings). If you have good spinners, it puts extra pressure. If you have runs on the board
with batters trying to take risks, that is where you are more effective (as spinners), and that is why we are defending better than chasing. But in T20, we have to chase also, so the mentality has to be to chase as well and have a good record. (On having so many bowling options) That is a very tough ask, (selecting) the playing eleven (as well). To keep Mujeeb out is a tough decision, then Noor as well (was left out) in some games. I forgot to bowl my two overs (tonight at first). You have to see who is more successful against a particular batter (and then see). Good thing is I have options and that makes the job easier.

Yasim Murtaza, Hong Kong captain: (On the experience of playing Afghanistan) Feels like a dream come true. We know Asia Cup is one of the bigger tournaments in Asia, so we were really excited for that. I was not expecting that total on the board. At one stage, I was thinking they would get 150. Credit goes to their batters, especially Omarzai, getting 50 off 20 balls - that is a game-changer. The positive things for us was Babar with the bat and our spinners bowled well. Once we go back from here, at least we have something to work on.

10:27pm A very comfortable win for Afghanistan. 189 always seemed a tall order and once Afghanistan made early inroads, that task got significantly tougher for Hong Kong. Hayat tried to hang in, scratching his way to 39, but with only one other batter getting into double digits, Hong Kong, still searching for a win in the men's Asia Cup, fell well short.

A decent outing with the ball for Afghanistan. Naib bagged the best figures, with the likes of Noor, Rashid and Farooqi not shabby either. Almost all of their bowlers got some miles under their legs and as bigger tests come up, that could still prove vital. Stick around for the post-match presentation.

19.6
0
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Shukla, no run, that will be that! Afghanistan coast to a victory on opening night, and signal their intention to dominate! This is short and wide, and seems like an on-pace delivery, given how late Ayush is on it. He misses it and even though it was not for a lack of trying, it sort of sums up the gulf in quality between these sides tonight, and how much better Afghanistan were than Hong Kong!
19.5
1
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ateeq Iqbal, 1 run, off-pace on a back of a length on middle and leg. Iqbal gives himself ample room and runs it down to deep third

Kasinathan: "This match's NRR boost will come handy for Afganistan in case of a three way tie "

19.4
0
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ateeq Iqbal, no run, shortish outside off and this zips off the surface. Iqbal, backing away and flaying at it, is beaten for pace

Azweer : "If Afghanistan bowl out Hongkong will there be a huge difference in NRR? " -- The number of wickets do not come into NRR calculations, so will not make much of a difference.

19.3
0
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ateeq Iqbal, no run, cutter dug into the track just outside off. Iqbal backs away and dabs it towards backward point

Iqbal is the last batter in. Around the wicket

19.2
W
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ehsan Khan, OUT, has that carried?! Looks like it has! Hard length on leg stump. Sticks in the surface slightly and bounces up like a tennis ball. Ehsan cannot control it and bunts it uppishly towards the bowler, who stoops down low in his follow-through and snaffles it up inches off the turf!

Ehsan Khan c & b Fazalhaq Farooqi 6 (16m 11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 54.54

19.1
0
Fazalhaq Farooqi to Ehsan Khan, no run, slower ball on a back of a length on middle and leg. Ehsan jumps up onto his toes before prodding it towards the bowler

Farooqi to bowl the final over of this game

Hong Kong 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st1Zeeshan AliAnshuman Rath
2nd11Zeeshan AliBabar Hayat
3rd1Nizakat KhanBabar Hayat
4th9Babar HayatKalhan Challu
5th21KD ShahBabar Hayat
6th20Yasim MurtazaBabar Hayat
7th15Yasim MurtazaAizaz Khan
8th13Ehsan KhanYasim Murtaza
9th2Ehsan KhanA Shukla
10th1A ShuklaAteeq Iqbal