The ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 has officially started in Abu Dhabi, and the first game promises to be plenty of fireworks! Afghanistan won the toss at the famous Zayed Cricket Stadium and chose to bat first against Hong Kong.
There is a lot at stake for both sides. Afghanistan will depend on the explosive Rahmanullah Gurbaz and the magic of Rashid Khan, while Hong Kong will depend on their captain Yasim Murtaza and the veteran Babar Hayat to keep things calm.
History is on the Afghans’ side, as they have won three out of five T20Is against Hong Kong. But here’s the twist: both teams have won three of their last five games, so they both have a lot of momentum going into this first game.
In the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy, Hong Kong showed a lot of heart, but Malaysia crushed them in the rain-soaked final. Afghanistan’s situation wasn’t too dissimilar; they made it to the tri-series final but lost to Pakistan.
This looks like a great start. There will be tremendous hits, nerves, and maybe a few surprises.
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 and 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 and Ehsan Khan.
