Azmatullah Omarzai hammered a 20-ball fifty as Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by 94 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi.
Afghanistan elected to bat first and posted 188-6, with opener Sediqullah Atal playing the anchor role with an unbeaten 73 on Tuesday.
His fifth-wicket partnership of 82 with Omarzai, who hit 53 off 21 balls, including two fours and five sixes, proved key for Afghanistan in the Group B fixture.
Afghanistan’s bowlers then combined to keep Hong Kong down to 94-9.
Temperatures early on touched 40C (104F), but it was the humidity in the evening that tested the fitness of the players, who took regular drinks breaks.
Hong Kong bowlers delivered two early blows to Afghanistan, but Atal stood firm to put on 51 runs with veteran Mohammad Nabi, who scored 33, as the two counter-attacked.
Off-spinner Kinchit Shah broke the stand to dismiss Nabi, but Atal raised the run-rate with Omarzai, who hit his first T20I fifty – the fastest by an Afghan batter – with three sixes and a four before his departure.
Hong Kong, whose fielders dropped five catches, were never in the chase after they slipped to 22-4 inside five overs, including two run-outs.
Afghanistan were playing less than 48 hours after their loss to Pakistan in the final of a tri-series in Sharjah on Sunday.
Their next Asia Cup fixture is against Bangladesh on September 16.
Tournament favourites India begin their campaign in Group A on Wednesday when they face hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai.
India and Pakistan meet on September 14 in the most-awaited match of the Twenty20 tournament, which serves as a build-up for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
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