Ruthless Afghanistan Crush Hong Kong By 94 Runs To Open Campaign In Style News24 –

AFG vs HKC: Afghanistan kicked off their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a commanding 94-run victory over Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, underlining their status as one of the tournament’s most dangerous sides. While it may have been billed as a mismatch on paper, Afghanistan used the fixture wisely as a tune-up for the bigger tests ahead and walked away with two points and plenty of confidence.

Atal and Omarzai did the damage with the bat and the bowlers finished the job as Afghanistan cruised to a huge win in Match 1️⃣ of the #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 #AFGvHK #ACC pic.twitter.com/bW7jQRDhiQ

— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) September 9, 2025

Atal Anchors, Finishers Fire

Asked to bat first after winning the toss, Afghanistan made the most of a decent batting surface. Sediqullah Atal, dropped in the very first over, grabbed the lifeline and made Hong Kong pay dearly. The opener carried his bat through the innings, shifting gears after his fifty and finishing unbeaten in what was a calculated and classy knock.

But the real fireworks came from Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai, who brought late-innings chaos with their power-hitting. The pair added 50+ partnerships with Atal and helped pile on 78 runs in the final five overs – a period marked by clean striking and poor fielding.

Hong Kong were sloppy in the field, and that’s putting it mildly. They dropped eight catches – matching the joint-most in a T20I since 2020 and fumbled several others, allowing Afghanistan to post a daunting 188/4.

Biggest Victory Margins in Men’s T20 Asia Cup (by runs)

Most Catches Dropped in a Men’s T20I (since 2020)

Another Run-Out Stat Hong Kong Won’t Want

When it rains, it pours. Hong Kong suffered two run-outs today, taking their total to 34 since 2024 – the most among all 103 T20I-playing nations. Worryingly, 29 of those have come from their top seven batters, showing recurring issues with running between the wickets and game awareness.

Afghanistan Rotate Bowlers, Still Dominate

With the game firmly in control, Afghanistan treated the second innings as a testing ground for their bowling unit. Seven bowlers were used, but only Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad completed their full quota. Despite some early dropped catches, Afghanistan never looked threatened.

Hong Kong’s chase never got going. Only Babar Hayat showed any intent, launching a few meaty sixes, but the target was always a mountain too high. The innings ended with them well short, and Afghanistan cruising to a massive win.

What This Means

For Afghanistan, this was a near-perfect start – a dominant win, game time for most bowlers, and a top-order that clicked. Yes, the fielding was a little rusty early on, but those are easy fixes.

For Hong Kong, it’s a match filled with lessons. Fielding lapses, poor running, and a lack of composure under pressure made the gulf between the teams look even wider. But there’s time to regroup, learn, and come back stronger.