Afghanistan Stop them Asia Cup 2025 Run Hong Kong Sheikh Zayed Stadium on 9 September at Group B Opener at Abu Dhabi Rashid KhanElection of batting first after winning the toss. The tournament opener marked the return of Afghanistan in the continental competition of Afghanistan after his impressive T20 World Cup semi -final run in 2024.
Ayush Shukla immediately returned after six to remove Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The match saw a dramatic moment in the second over Rahmanullah Gurbaz Launch by launching its trademark power-touching Ayush Shukla For a massive six. However, the explosive opener’s innings was short -lived as he fell soon after the attempt of another big shot. Gurbaz, who saw six after breaking six, tried to repeat the dose, but this time there was no time on the ball. Trying scaffold shot went straight and upstairs Nijkat Khan Running back from mid-off did not make any mistake in completing the catch to give Hong Kong his first success.
The dismissal came to 25/1 from the second ball of the third over with Afghanistan, when Gurbaz scored just 8 runs with 5 balls including that solitude. Shukla was pumped after claiming the prized skull, which was with a hard length delivery outside of moving outward and the surface showed some grip, which harassed the Afghan opener, who charged on the track. The wicket continued the recent Torid form of Garbaz in the United Arab Emirates after its struggles in the recently concluded Tri-Series against Pakistan, where Afghanistan was excluded for just 66 in the final.
Here’s video:
6 and out!
Hong Kong strike courtesy Ayush, Gurbaz departure 💥Watch #DPWORLDASIACUP2025 – To be dependent #Sonyliv And #SonySportsnetwork TV Channel 📺#ASIACUP #AFGVHKG pic.twitter.com/xtghwrgvno
– Sony Live (@Sonyliv) September 9, 2025
Also read: Asia Cup 2025: Bowling coach Morne Morkel revealed whether Kuldeep Yadav will join India’s XI
Afghanistan constructs a stable platform despite the initial failures against Hong Kong
Afghanistan cleverly led after the initial hiccups Sedikullah Atal ‘Unbeaten by scoring 73 runs off 52 balls. Atal’s patient’s innings anchored middle overs before late attack Azmatullah Omrajai (53 of 21) ramped the scoring rate. Mohammad Nabi Contributed to a fluent 33 on 26 runs, guiding the innings through a difficult period. Extra (10) proved expensive for Hong Kong, and Rashid KhanThe cameo at the time of death pushed Afghanistan to challenge 188/6 in 20 overs. With the Hong Kong bowlers sharing the wickets equally, Afghanistan’s balanced batting performance and late hitting set a tough target in Abu Dhabi’s first Group B encounter.
