Asia Cup 2025: Hong Kong Face Double Blow After Defeat to Afghanistan

Sept 10, 2025: Afghanistan beat Hong Kong by 94 runs in the first match of the Asia Cup 2025 on 9 September in Abu Dhabi. Batting first, Afghanistan scored 188/6 in 20 overs. Sediqullah Atal made 73 not out and Azmatullah Umarzai hit 53 runs from 21 balls.

While chasing, Hong Kong could only score 94/9 in 20 overs. Their batting looked very weak against the strong Afghan bowling attack. With this defeat, Hong Kong’s unwanted record of most run outs in T20Is stayed the same.

Double Blow for Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s innings started very badly while chasing 189 runs. The team lost four wickets in the powerplay and scored only 23 runs. The problem of run outs is still hurting the Hong Kong team.

In this match, Nizakat Khan and Kalhan Chalu were run out. After the defeat, Hong Kong’s poor record again came out. Since last year, Hong Kong have faced 34 run outs in T20Is. This is the most among teams that have played 103 T20Is. Out of these, 29 run outs happened with the top-7 batsmen.

In the Asia Cup opener, Hong Kong also lost opener Anshuman Rath on the second ball. He tried to hit Fazalhaq Farooqi but was caught by keeper Rehmanullah Gurbaz without scoring. Babar Hayat made the highest 39 runs from 43 balls. The other batsmen could not play well against Afghanistan’s bowlers.

Atal and Umarzai Shine for Afghanistan

Afghanistan openers Atal and Umarzai played great innings. Atal scored 73 not out from 52 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes. Azmatullah Umarzai made 53 runs, and Mohammad Nabi added 33 runs from 26 balls. With these knocks, Afghanistan scored 188/6 in 20 overs.

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