Atal, Omarzai Half-Centuries Propel Afghanistan To 188/6 Against Hong Kong

ABU DHABI: Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai’s excellent half-centuries propelled Afghanistan to a formidable 188/6 against Hong Kong in the first match of the Asia Cup 2025 at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Batting first, Afghanistan made an immediate mess of losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the outset (8) and Ibrahim Zadran (1), leaving the team at 26-2 in the fourth over. The tension was eased when Mohammad Nabi, with 33 off 26 balls, including three fours and one six, joined Atal in stabilizing the game.

Atal was the mainstay of the innings, anchoring brilliantly with 73 not out off 52 balls, striking 9 fours and 3 sixes, and he batted an innings off brilliantly with a 73 not out off 52 deliveries, smacking 9 fours and 3 sixes. His coolness enabled Afghanistan to reorganize, and Azmatullah Omarzai took charge with a blistering knock. The pair put on a rapid 85-run partnership with Omarzai finishing with 53 off 21 balls (with five sixes and two boundaries) to shift the tide entirely, as he hammered 53 out.

Although they lost wickets in the last few overs, Afghanistan still finished their innings on a very positive note with 188/6 on the scoreboard, which gave Hong Kong a tough chase target.

Playing XIs

Afghanistan: 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Hong Kong: 

Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan