Abu Dhabi, September 9, 2025: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bat first against Hong Kong in the curtain raiser of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 at0 Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Both sides enter the tournament with comparable form, having won three of their last five completed T20Is. Afghanistan hold the upper hand historically, leading the head-to-head record with three wins in five encounters.
Hong Kong come into the contest after finishing runners-up in the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy in July, where they were outclassed by Malaysia in a rain-hit five-over final. Afghanistan, meanwhile, recently fell to Pakistan in the final of a tri-nation series in Abu Dhabi, also involving hosts UAE.
Playing XIs:
- Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza (c), Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan.
