The first match of the Asia Cup will be played between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on 9th September at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Match Preview:
It is time for the biggest clash outside the ICC tournaments. It is for the very first time a total of eight teams will be fighting for the trophy and the opener is set to be played between wounded Afghanistan and winless Hong Kong.
Afghanistan suffered a horrific defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the recently-concluded final of the tri-series. Nevertheless, they are still favourites to fare well in this tournament. They have arguably one of the best sides as their spin attack makes them a formidable side. Their batting, however, needs to get in shape. Their weaknesses were visibly exposed by the Pakistani bowlers in the final of the tri-series.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was a pure disappointment for the side in the recent series as he could only accumulate 98 runs which added more pressure to Ibrahim Zadran and Sadiqullah Atal. Although they both show promise, Gurbaz needs to ace with the bat if Afghanistan wants to hide their middle and lower order woes. The side would hope that Omarzai finds some form with the bat as he was their main player in the recent ICC events as he was the second highest run scorer for the side in the Champions Trophy 2025.
Talking about Hong Kong, they have played a total of 16 T20Is this year. They are placed in a tougher group where they will have to be at their best to beat the likes of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The side was engaged in vigorous practice sessions and warm up for the Asia Cup.
Although one may not expect them to beat Afghanistan or other teams, there are some individuals in the Hong Kong side that can stun the cricketing world. The side would hope that Zeeshan Ali and Anushman Rath go big and prove themselves at such a stage. Both have been vital cogs for the side as both have proven to be consistent and dynamic players keeping the strike rate to 140s in T20i cricket. The amazing fact is they both have scored T20i century this year which tells a lot about their style of play.
One can also expect heroics from Ayush Shukla who holds the record of bowling a maiden spell in T20i cricket (as he is the first Asian cricketer to do it) and Ehsan Khan who has been a great spinner for the side.
Hong Kong are yet to win a single game in the Asia Cup and if anything the side will give it all to break the jinx and curse this time.
Probable Playing XI:
Afghanistan (possible): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Sediqullah Atal, 4 Darwish Rasooli, 5 Karim Janat, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 AM Ghazanfar, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hong Kong (possible): 1 Anshuman Rath, 2 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Matthew Coetzee, 6 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 7 Ehsan Khan, 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ateeq Iqbal, 10 Nasrulla Rana, 11 Ayush Shukla
Pitch and weather report:
Abu Dhabi is thought to be a little less spin-friendly than Dubai, which could slightly lessen Afghanistan’s advantage. As is typical for the UAE at this time of year, the evening is predicted to be warm and humid.
Head-to-head record:
A total of five games have been played between the sides with Afghanistan winning 3 and Hong Kong standing victorious in 2.
Prediction:
Given the recent performances and exposure, Afghanistan are favourites to win the first game of the Asia Cup 2025.
Where to Watch:
India: Sony Liv app and website (sonyliv.com).
Pakistan: Tapmad and Myco
Sri Lanka: Dialog ViU app
Bangladesh: Toffee and Tapmad.
UAE and Mena region: StarzPlay
Afghanistan: Toffee app and websites
