Asia Cup 2025 Match 1: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, China - Top Preview and Stats Insights from AI Experts - September 9

Check out all the Preview Stats and AI Predictive Form Guides from Experts for the T20 Asia Cup 2025, 1st match, Group B - Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, to be played on the 9th of September, 2025 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Match Prediction - Afghanistan v Hong Kong

Afghanistan vs Hong Kong - Asia Cup - 9th September

Match Details:

Date: Tuesday, 9th September 2025.

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

Start Time: 03:30 PM BST | 08:00 PM IST | 06:30 PM Local.

Current Form:

Afghanistan:

The Afghan Atalan have made one previous appearance in a T20I Asia Cup, coming in 2022, where they were eliminated in the Super Four stages, with two wins and three losses so far in their Asia Cup history.

They will be ecstatic, going into this tournament, with Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran having found form, lowering the reliance they have often had on Rahmanullah Gurbaz in this format, while their extreme spin quartet remains as dangerous as ever with AM Ghazanfar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Zadran.

Hong Kong:

Just like Afghanistan, Hong Kong have managed one previous appearance, which came in 2022, where they failed to get out of the group stage, having lost both their games.

A team that will be quietly confident about their chance, with Anshuman Rath their leading runscorer this year and he has been in good form alongside Zeeshan Ali, while Ayush Shukla, Yasim Murtuza and Anas Khan have been great with the ball.

Players to Watch:

Afghanistan:

Ibrahim Zadran – the star batter from Afghanistan has upskilled this year and is averaging 38.8 while striking at 132.87 in T20Is this year, ensuring that Afghanistan are no longer just reliant on Rahmanullah Gurbaz to provide them with impetus.

Noor Ahmad – The leading wicket-taker in T20s this year, Noor Ahmad has struck 68 times already in 2025, with an average of 18.5 and has been able to keep the control as well, going at 7.4 an over.

Rashid Khan – after a tough IPL season, the Afghanistan captain took a break from the game and has come back in great form once again, having taken 26 wickets in his last 14 games at an average of 13.96 and has struck once every 11.5 balls.

Hong Kong:

Anshuman Rath – having scored 726 runs this year, Anshy Rath is enjoying a fine year in T20I cricket, averaging 48.4 and has struck at 144.3 this year, with one hundred and five fifties.

Yasim Murtaza – the captain has been the leading wicket-taker for Hong Kong, with 18 wickets at 19.66 and has managed to maintain an economy of 7.42.

Ayush Shukla – the young quick has been excellent for Hong Kong in 2025, with 16 wickets at 17.18 and incredibly, Shukla has maintained an economy of just 5.89 this year.

Head-to-Head (Last 5 Matches):

Afghanistan - 3 wins

Hong Kong - 2 wins

Afghanistan have the upper hand here, with three wins in their previous five games, but the last of these games came almost a decade ago in 2025, and Afghanistan have made a rapid rise through the ranks since and will be favourites to win this game.

Venue Stats - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi (2022-2025):

Average 1st Innings Score:

2023 - 147.33

2024 - 159.38

2025 - 173.10

Bowling Averages and Economy Rates:

Fast Bowlers – Average – 26.07; Economy Rate – 8.32.

Spin Bowlers – Average – 28.21; Economy Rate – 8.09.

Wickets Percentage based on Innings:

Team Win Percentage when Batting First - 40.7%

Team Win Percentage when Batting Second - 59.3%

Wickets Per Innings:

First Innings – 6.51 wickets

Second Innings – 5.30 wickets

Wickets per Phase:

Powerplay (Overs 1–6): 1.76 wickets

Middle Overs (Overs 7–15): 2.19 wickets

Death Overs (Overs 16–20): 2.16 wickets

The pitches at Sheikh Zayed Stadium have only gotten better to bat on this year, with the average first innings score having risen to 173.1 this year, up from 159.4 and 147.3 in previous years.

There is a benefit to winning the toss and choosing to bowl first here, with almost 60% of the games won by the sides batting second, but the fast bowlers are the key to success in this ground. They average 26 runs per wicket and have an economy very close to that of the spin bowlers, who concede 28.2 runs per wicket taken.

Squads:

Afghanistan:

Rashid Khan ©, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Mohammad Ishaq (WK), Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fareed Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi, AM Ghazanfar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad.

Hong Kong:

Yasim Murtaza ©, Zeeshan Ali (WK), Anas Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Martin Coetzee, Kinchit Shah, Shahid Wasif, Aizaz Khan, Haroon Arshad, Nasrulla Rana, Nizakat Khan, Ali Hassan, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan, Adil Mehmood, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Ayush Shukla and Kalhan Challu.

Cricket Match Predictions - PrePlay

Who will win the toss? — Hong Kong

Who will win the match? — Afghanistan

Top Batter (Runs Scored) — Sediqullah Atal (Afghanistan), Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong)

Top Bowler (Wickets Taken) — Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan), Ayush Shukla (Hong Kong)

Most Sixes — Sediqullah Atal (Afghanistan), Anshuman Rath (Hong Kong)

Player of the Match — Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)

Team Scores Batting First — Afghanistan 160+, Hong Kong 150+

Live Cricket Streaming Asia Cup 2025: The live cricket streaming page which enables you to watch live cricket - Geo-restrictions apply

*NB these predictions may be changed nearer the start of the match once the final starting teams have been announced and we will be running ‘In-Play’ features, so stay tuned.

Also, the predictions and picks are formulated from the stats and information sourced and compiled from AI and stats experts – remember, when the fun stops… STOP

© Cricket World 2025

Click here to read article