Afghanistan began their Asia Cup campaign with a resounding victory in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, defeating Hong Kong by 94 runs thanks to scorching fifties from Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai and a tidy effort from the bowlers.
The outcome was sealed as Afghanistan overcame early nerves thanks to Atal (73 not out off 52 balls) and Omarzai (53 off 21 balls) to reach 188 for six.
The Afghan bowlers finished the formality by holding Hong Kong to 94 for nine, led by Gulbadin Naib (2/8) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (2/16).
Hong Kong’s chase collapsed early, slipping to 23 for four inside the Powerplay. The mounting scoreboard pressure soon showed, with Nizakat Khan and Kalhan Challu falling to avoidable run-outs.
Challu strayed too far out against Omarzai, who fired in a direct hit before the batter could scramble back. Hong Kong’s hopes of a solid start rested on opener Anshuman Rath, but he perished as early as the second ball — a loose on-the-up drive outside off to Farooqi, edged through to Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
The middle and late-order batsmen from Hong Kong lacked the technical skill and endurance to compete with the seasoned bowlers from Afghanistan after the top four batsmen left the hut with virtually nothing to offer. With 39 off 43 balls, Babar Hayat led Hong Kong in scoring, although the match wasn’t even a nominal contest.
Afghanistan reached a healthy total earlier thanks to Atal and Omarzai, who helped them overcome the difficulty their top-order hitters were having against pace-off deliveries. As they waited for their opportunities to liberate the arm, Atal and Omarzai played in accordance with their impeccable assessment of the pitch’s characteristics.
After Afghanistan decided to bat first, the left-handed opener Atal started the Power Play segment with a barrage of boundaries against new ball, but he quickly found a more relaxed pace. There was only one spectacular shot between the fifth and thirteenth overs: a pull off off-spinner Kinchit Shah over mid-wicket for a six. He reached his fifty, third in T20Is, in 41 balls.
Shah was particularly noteworthy for tying up the Afghan batters, who are typically hard-hitters, with a string of undercutters that they were unable to read or get around for singles. It took him a few balls to get into his stride, but once he did, experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (33 off 26 balls) smacked bowler Aizaz Khan for a four and a six in quick succession.
But the momentum didn’t last long. Nabi miscued Shah in an attempt to clear long-off, handing Nizakat Khan a straightforward catch and bringing an end to a promising 51-run third-wicket stand. Afghanistan suddenly found themselves wobbling at 95 for four after 13 overs. Atal, meanwhile, enjoyed a huge reprieve when Ehsan Khan spilled a sitter at short third man off left-arm spinner Yasim Murtaza.
Omarzai, who clobbered pacer Ayush Shukla for 6, 6, 6, and 4 in consecutive balls of the 19th over, helped the Afghan batter, who was at 51 at the time, punish the Hong Kong bowlers by adding 82 runs for the fifth wicket.
Afghanistan gained some late momentum as Atal hit pacer Ateeq Iqbal for two consecutive sixes, over long on and square leg, respectively, and then a paddle sweep for four. Afghanistan scored 78 runs in the last five overs and 25 runs from the 17th over.
All things considered, Hong Kong also had trouble fielding in the latter half of the innings, as they also grassed Omarzai.
