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Key Points

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup opener. Captain Rashid Khan explained the pitch looks good for setting a competitive total. Hong Kong's skipper Yasim Murtaza admitted he would have preferred to bowl first. Both teams are fielding strong lineups for this crucial tournament opener.

Key Points: Afghanistan Bat First Against Hong Kong in Asia Cup Opener

  • Rashid Khan wins toss and chooses to bat on good Abu Dhabi pitch
  • Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza wanted to bowl first instead
  • Afghanistan makes one change with Gulbadin Naib back in lineup
  • Hong Kong excited to test qualifier form on big Asia Cup stage
2 min read

Asia Cup: Afghanistan opt to bat first against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan opts to bat first against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup opener in Abu Dhabi. Get team news and toss reactions.

"We would like to bat first. It looks like a good wicket to put runs on the board - Rashid Khan"

Abu Dhabi, Sep 9

Afghanistan have won the toss and opted to bat first against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup opener at Zayed Cricket Stadium here on Tuesday.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said they would like to chase the total, as the pitch looks good for batting.

“We would like to bat first. It looks like a good wicket to put runs on the board, good total on the board will help the bowlers. In T20, it does not matter if you win the toss or not, but you have to give yourself the best opportunity to pick wickets in the middle period. It is already behind us, we are well focussed on the game today, even if we had won the final we would have focussed on the game today and how to win. Just one change - Gulbadin is back,” he said at the toss.

Hong Kong captain Yasim Murtaza is excited to see how his players perform on the big stage after sealing their spot through the qualifiers.

“We wanted to bowl first. I am happy to bowl. We worked hard to get here. We played good cricket in the qualifiers. As a captain I am looking forward to see how Kalhan Challu will do on the big stage,” he said.

Playing XIs

Afghanistan: 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 : 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

- IANS

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Excited to see Hong Kong play! They worked hard to qualify and deserve this platform. Hope they give a good fight 💪
A
Aryan P
Rashid Khan's captaincy has really improved. His reasoning for batting first makes sense - put pressure with runs and let the spinners do the magic later!
N
Nisha Z
Would have preferred to see Afghanistan bowl first actually. Their bowling attack is their strength and could have restricted Hong Kong to a low total. But let's see how it goes!
K
Karan T
Good to see Gulbadin Naib back in the team! His experience will be valuable. Afghanistan should win this comfortably but you never know in T20 cricket 😅
S
Sarah B
Love watching Afghanistan play! They've come such a long way in international cricket. Hope it's an exciting match for the Asia Cup opener! 🏆

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