Afghanistan kicked off the Asia Cup with a bang by winning the toss and choosing to bat first against Hong Kong in their opener at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The match is underway on Tuesday, and fans are already buzzing about this exciting Asia Cup 2024 clash.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan shared his thoughts at the toss, explaining why they went for batting first. "We’d like to bat first. The pitch looks solid for putting up a big score, which will give our bowlers a strong total to defend. In T20 cricket, the toss doesn’t always decide things, but you need to set yourself up to grab wickets in the middle overs. We’re super focused on today’s game—win or lose the toss, our eyes are on victory. We’ve made just one change: Gulbadin Naib is back in the side," Rashid said confidently.
Over on the Hong Kong side, captain Yasim Murtaza was all pumped up, even though they wanted to bowl first. "We hoped to bowl, but I’m happy with this. Our team worked hard in the qualifiers to earn our spot here, and we played some solid cricket to get through. As captain, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Kalhan Marc Challu steps up on this big stage," Yasim added with enthusiasm.
This Asia Cup opener pits two determined teams against each other, with Afghanistan aiming to build on their strong form and Hong Kong eager to make their mark as underdogs. Here’s how the playing XIs stack up for this T20 showdown:
Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Hong Kong XI: Yasim Murtaza (c), Zeeshan Ali (wk), Nizakat Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Ehsan Khan, Kalhan Marc Challu, Ayush Shukla, Aizaz Khan, Ateeq Iqbal, Kinchit Shah.
Stay tuned as the action unfolds in this thrilling Asia Cup 2024 match—will Afghanistan post a winning total, or can Hong Kong pull off an upset?
