Afghanistan and Hong Kong (Source: Francois Nel/Getty Images and ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to get underway on September 9 with a clash between Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The match will be played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The two teams last played a 20-over match against each other in March 2016.
Afghanistan are coming into this match on the back of a successful tri-series outing against UAE and Pakistan. They won three out of four matches in quite some style before going down to Pakistan in the final. They did not play any T20Is other than the tri-series in 2025.
On the other hand, Hong Kong come into the Asia Cup on the back of a healthy diet of 20-over cricket. They participated in the Malaysia Tri-Nation T20I Series, Quadrangular T20 Series and the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy.
It will be interesting to see how Hong Kong perform in their opening clash. Although a win for them is unlikely, it is expected that the Yasim Murtaza-led team will put on a tough side against a well-rounded Afghan outfit.
Match Details
| Match | Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, 1st T20I, Asia Cup 2025 |
| Date and Time | Tuesday, September 9, 8 pm (IST) |
| Venue | Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi |
| Live Broadcast and Streaming Details | Sony Sports Network, Sony LIV, Yupp TV |
Pitch Report
Batters are expected to score freely once set. Not a lot of help is anticipated to be up on offer for the spinners. Dew is expected to play a role later on in the match.
Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 5 |
| Won by Afghanistan | 3 |
| Won by Hong Kong | 2 |
| No Result | 0 |
| First-ever Fixture | March 18, 2014 |
| Most-Recent Fixture | March 10, 2016 |
Predicted Playing XIs
Afghanistan (AFG):
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hong Kong (HK):
Yasim Murtaza (c), Anshy Rath, Martin Coetzee, Kinchit Shah, Shahid Wasif, Zeeshan Ali (wk), Aizaz Khan, Nizakat Khan, Ateeq Iqbal, Ali Hassan, Ehsan Khan
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