ABU DHABI: Afghanistan have won the toss and opted to bat first against Hong Kong in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
PLAYING XIs:
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hong Kong XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (capt), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan
HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:
Afghanistan and Hong Kong have faced each other five times in the T20I format, with the former having a narrow margin with three wins to its name.
Matches 9, Hong Kong 2, Afghanistan 3
The continental tournament will be played across two venues, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, in the UAE from September 9 to 28.
Abu Dhabi will stage eight matches, including one Super Four clash on September 23, while Dubai will host the majority of the games, including both high-voltage Pakistan-India clashes if the two sides progress beyond the group stage.
All matches will begin at 6 PM Gulf Standard Time, barring the September 15 fixture between the UAE and Oman.