Afghanistan 188-6 (20 overs) v Hong Kong
Sediqullah Atal 73* (52), Azmatullah Omarzai 53 (21); Kinchit Shah 2-24
Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai shared a brisk 105-run stand that nudged Afghanistan up to 188 for six in the first match of the men’s T20 Asia Cup in Muscat. Hong Kong’s spinners, led by captain Yasin Murtaza, did stall the innings through the middle overs, yet the final tally still leaves Murtaza’s side needing what would be their highest successful chase in the format.
“Bat as deep as possible and cash in late – that was the chat,” Atal said on the host broadcaster. The left-hander stuck to the plan, surviving three let-offs – all involving Murtaza – before finishing unbeaten on 73. He could have been gone first ball, a miscued drive swirling to cover, but the chance slipped out. Two more opportunities followed, neither taken.
For much of the innings, though, Hong Kong’s three-man spin unit turned the screw. Murtaza, Ehsan Khan and Kinchit Shah sent down 11 overs for just 75 runs, tossing the ball up and dragging the pace right back. “It felt like bowling in the 90s, honestly,” Murtaza joked afterwards, “but that was the only way to keep them in check.”
Everything changed once Omarzai saw pace in the 17th over. The all-rounder clattered Ayush Shukla for 6, 4, 4, 6 to ignite a late surge worth 69 from the last four overs. A muscled slog over mid-wicket brought up his maiden T20I fifty; a deft ramp next ball underlined the range. “You’ve got to have two or three get-out options on this surface,” Omarzai explained. His 53 came off just 21 deliveries, strike-rate 252.
Hong Kong will need 189 – sixteen more than their national record – to start the tournament with an upset. “We’ve chased well before; we’ll back ourselves,” opener Martin Coetzee insisted. He and his team-mates know, however, that Afghanistan’s attack, armed with spin of its own and the new-ball nip of Fazalhaq Farooqi, rarely give away such totals without a scrap.
