Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has won the toss and elected to bat against Hong Kong in their Asia Cup campaign opener in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Afghanistan will be bolstered by the return of all-rounder Gulbadin Naib in the squad, Rashid said at the toss.
Playing XIs:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hong Kong: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza(c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan
Welcome to updates from the Asia Cup 2025, starting in the UAE.
The Asia Cup 2025 kicks off tonight with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
The Afghans, semi-finalists at last year's T20 World Cup and runners-up in the recent tri-series against Pakistan and UAE, enter the tournament as one of the favourites. Their campaign may have ended in defeat to Pakistan in Sharjah, but the spirited run underlined their growing stature in Asian cricket.
Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium promises a fair contest. The long boundaries and sluggish outfield will make clearing the ropes a challenge, while the surface, expected to aid spinners, could make batting tougher as the game wears on.
The recent tri-series offered a clear lesson: batting first is key. Runs on the board early, followed by disciplined bowling, may well prove to be the winning formula.
Squads
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Allah Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Farid Malik, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza (c), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Niazakat Khan Mohammad, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Marc Challu, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Ateeq ul Rehman Iqbal, Kinchit Shah, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif, Ghazanfar Mohammad, Mohammad Waheed, Ehsan Khan