The Asia Cup 2025 kicked off with a one-sided match between the Afghanistan National Cricket Team and Hong Kong at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan defeated Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening game of Group B. This dominating performance by Afghanistan puts them onto the top of the Asia Cup 2025 Points Table.
Afghanistan batted first and they made 188/6 in 20 overs. Sediqullah Atal played a fantastic knock of 73 runs. Azmatullah Omarzai showed his fireworks as he scored 53 runs in just 21 balls. Both the batter led Afghanistan to a good total, and as expected, the target was too high for Hong Kong.
Hong Kong struggled right from the start; they lost early wickets in the power play itself. However, Babar Hayat showed some cricketing skills and scored 39 runs. Hong Kong could able to score 99 runs in 20 overs with the loss of 9 wickets, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib took two wickets each.
Asia Cup 2025 Points Table & Standings Updated After Afghanistan vs Hong Kong match:
Asia Cup 2025 Group B Points Table:
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
| 1 | Afghanistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -4.700 |
| 2 | Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -4.700 |
| 3 | Bangaldesh | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Sri Lanka | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Asia Cup 2025 Group A Points Table:
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Lost | Points | NRR |
| 1 | India | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Oman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | UAE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Asia Cup 2025 Highest Runs Scorer:
| Position | Player | Matches Played | Average | Runs |
| 1 | Sediqullah Atal | 1 | – | 73 |
| 2 | Azmatullah Omarzai | 1 | 53.00 | 53 |
| 3 | Babar Hayat | 1 | 39.00 | 39 |
| 4 | Mohammad Nabi | 1 | 33.00 | 33 |
| 5 | Yasim Murtaza | 1 | 16.00 | 16 |
Asia Cup 2025 Highest Wicket Taker:
| Position | Player | Matches Played | Economy | Wickets |
| 1 | Gulbadin Naib | 1 | 2.66 | 2 |
| 2 | Fazalhaq Farooqi | 1 | 5.33 | 2 |
| 3 | Kinchit Shah | 1 | 8.00 | 2 |
| 4 | Ayush Shukla | 1 | 13.50 | 2 |
| 5 | Azmatullah Omarzai | 1 | 2.00 | 1 |
Asia Cup 2025 Most Sixes:
| Position | Player | Matches Played | Runs | Sixes |
| 1 | Azmatullah Omarzai | 1 | 53 | 5 |
| 2 | Babar hayat | 1 | 39 | 3 |
| 3 | Sediqullah Atal | 1 | 73 | 3 |
| 4 | Mohammad Nabi | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| 5 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 1 | 8 | 1 |
Asia Cup 2025 Match 1, Afghanistan vs Hong Kong Highlights:
Afghanistan won the toss in the first match of the Asia Cup 2025; they decided to bat first and the decision came in their favor as Afghanistan scored 188 runs on the scoreboard in 20 overs.
Afghanistan lost some early wickets, but Sediqullah Atal and Mohammad Nabi made a crucial partnership in the middle-overs and led Afghanistan back on track. Both made the 51 runs partnership for the 3rd wicket, Mohammad Nabi got out by scoring 33 runs, but then, the actual show begins.
Azmatullah Omarzai came 13th over and he bombareded boundaries against Hong Kong Bowlers and made the fastest fifty for Afghanistan in T20Is as he scored 54 runs in 21 balls with includes 5 sixes and 2 fours. Sediqullah Atal stood till the last and scored an unbeaten 73 runs, and led his team to a good total.
In the second Inning, Hong Kong’s batting department was shattered against the Afghan bowlers; they lost 4 wickets in the powerplay. No batters from their side stood for the team except Babar Hayat, who scored 39 runs trying to make an impact, but got no support from other players.
In the end, Hong Kong finished at just 94/9 in 20 overs, and Afghanistan won the match by a massive 94 runs. From Afghanistan’s bowling department, Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi took two wickets each.
Read More: Check India & Pakistan Position in the Latest ICC T20 Team Rankings ahead of Asia Cup 2025