How did Fifties from Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai lead Afghanistan to 188/6 against Hong Kong?

Abu Dhabi, Sep 9 (NationPress) Half-centuries from Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai propelled Afghanistan to a total of 188/6 in 20 overs against Hong Kong during the Asia Cup opener at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Choosing to bat first, Afghanistan opener Sediqullah Atal commenced the match with a boundary on the very first ball. He quickly followed up with two consecutive fours off Ayush Shukla to conclude the opening over.

Atal maintained his aggressive style in Ateeq Iqbal’s next over, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz managed to hit Shukla for a six just before being dismissed on the following delivery. Ibrahim Zadran, who entered the fray at No. 3, made minimal impact and was sent back by Iqbal in the fourth over.

The loss of two early wickets hindered the scoring rate, but Atal and Mohammad Nabi formed a crucial partnership in the middle, keeping Afghanistan’s score ticking to 41/2 by the end of the powerplay.

Nabi particularly targeted pacer Aizaz Khan, hitting him for a four and a six in his opening over. In his subsequent over, Nabi struck Khan for two more boundaries, bringing Afghanistan to 77/2 at the halfway mark.

Spinner Kinchit Shah eventually broke the 51-run partnership in the 11th over as Nabi was caught at long-off after scoring 33. Gulbadin Naib, who hit Shah for a six over deep mid-wicket, couldn’t maintain the momentum and was dismissed by the spinner in the 13th over, putting Afghanistan under pressure. Azmatullah Omarzai then joined Atal in the middle.

Atal reached his well-earned half-century in 41 balls, as Afghanistan moved to 110/4 after 15 overs.

In the closing overs, Atal and Azmatullah escalated the run rate, dealing predominantly in boundaries and pushing the total towards 200. Atal struck Iqbal for consecutive sixes after Azmatullah began the over with a boundary.

In the penultimate over, Azmatullah hit Shukla for three successive sixes and a four, completing his maiden T20I fifty in just 20 balls, which is also a record for Afghanistan. He was dismissed on the next ball, concluding with figures of 2-54 from his four overs.

Afghanistan managed only nine runs in the final over to finish at 188/6 in 20 overs, with Atal remaining unbeaten on 73 off 52 balls, including three sixes and six fours.

Despite a commendable bowling performance from Hong Kong, their fielding lapses proved costly, as they dropped several catches, allowing Afghanistan to capitalize.

For Hong Kong, Kinchit Shah stood out with the ball, taking 2-24 in his three overs.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 188/6 in 20 overs (Sediqullah Atal 73, Azmatullah Omarzai 53, Mohammad Nabi 33; Kinchit Shah 2-24, Ayush Shukla 2-54) against Hong Kong.