In the first match of the Asia Cup 2025 between Afghanistan and Hong Kong, Sediqullah Atal played a brilliant knock of 73 to take his team to a big total.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. They lost two early wickets in consecutive overs, and their innings was in a spot of bother. Atal then stitched together a 51-run partnership off 41 balls with Mohammad Nabi, which provided the innings with much-needed stability. However, it was the flamboyant 82-run stand between Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai — off just 35 balls — that propelled Afghanistan to 188/6 in their 20 overs.
Atal began the innings with a pull behind square for four. On the fourth ball of the first over, he was given a lifeline — one that would prove costly for Hong Kong. He dispatched the next two deliveries for boundaries. His scoring rate dipped slightly during the middle overs, but the southpaw brought up his fifty in the 15th over, taking 41 balls to reach the milestone. He later struck two consecutive sixes in the 17th over.
The 24-year-old Atal remained unbeaten on 73 from just 52 balls, including six fours and three sixes, at a strike rate of 140.38. Azmatullah was the second-highest scorer for Afghanistan, smashing 53 off 21 balls, with two fours and five sixes at an explosive strike rate of 252.38.
For Hong Kong, Ayush Shukla and Kinchit Shah took two wickets apiece.
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