Asia Cup: Can Hong Kong challenge Afghanistan in tournament opener?
What's the story
The Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in the T20 format, is all set to kick off with an encounter between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The match, part of Group B, will take place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday (September 9). While Afghanistan are clear favorites heading into this fixture, Hong Kong will aim to script an upset. Here is the match preview.
Details
Pitch report and streaming details
The pitch at Sheikh Zayed Stadium is known for its slow surface, which could favor spinners and make batting conditions tough in the second innings due to uneven bounce. Batting first hence might be a good option here. Indian fans can catch all the game, which will go underway at 8:30pm IST, live on Sony Sports Networks. The game will also be streamed live on the Sony LIV app and website.
Team history
Hong Kong eyeing to make a mark
This will be Hong Kong's fifth appearance in the Asia Cup, and the second in the T20I format. They qualified for the continental tournament through the 2024 ACC Men's Premier Cup. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are coming off a loss in the final of a T20I Tri-series against Pakistan on Sunday. The team will be eager to start their Asia Cup campaign with an emphatic victory over Hong Kong.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
The two sides have met five times in T20Is, as per ESPNcricinfo. While Afghanistan have won three, Hong Kong have claimed two victories. However, both of HK's wins came in 2015. The Afghan team has come a long way since then. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have not played a T20I against Hong Kong since 2016.
Team line-up
A look at the probable XIs
Afghanistan (Probable XI): Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Hong Kong (Probable XI): Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath (wk), Nizakat Khan, Yasim Murtaza (c), Zeeshan Ali, Kinchit Shah, Kalhan Challu, Ehsan Khan, Ateeq Iqbal, Ayush Shukla, Nasrulla Rana.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran was the top scorer in the recent T20I tri-series, involving UAE and Pakistan, with 194 runs at 38.80. Rashid Khan claimed nine wickets from just four games in the series at an average of 12.77 (ER: 7.18). HK's Babar Hayat is one of the two centurions in T20 Asia Cup history, the other being Indian legend Virat Kohli. With 127 scalps at 16.45, Ehsan Khan is HK's highest wicket-taker in T20Is.
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