Afghanistan put up a strong batting display against Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Half-centuries from Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai, both laced with attacking strokes, propelled Afghanistan to an imposing total of 188/6. In reply, Hong Kong found themselves in deep trouble early, collapsing to 13/3 within the first three overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck in the very second ball of the innings, removing opener Anshy Rath, before Zeeshan Ali fell cheaply in the next over.
The pressure on Hong Kong could have mounted further in the fourth over, when AM Ghazanfar nearly snared Kalhan Challu. The left-hander mistimed an attempted leg-side flick, producing a leading edge that ballooned up toward the infield. What followed was a moment of chaos that had fans shaking their heads.
Stationed at short mid-wicket, Ibrahim Zadran rushed forward to attempt the catch, while Sediqullah Atal sprinted in from extra cover. Both called for the ball, but neither backed out convincingly. In the end, Zadran got underneath it but failed to hold on, grassing what should have been a straightforward chance.
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Atal, who had pulled out at the very last second, ended up almost colliding with his teammate. The two cricketers immediately exchanged words in frustration, pointing fingers at one another even as skipper Rashid Khan tried to calm the situation. Rashid was seen urging his players to communicate more clearly on the field to avoid such mix-ups.
The incident quickly went viral on social media, with fans drawing parallels to Pakistan’s infamous fielding errors in the past. While Challu gratefully survived to fight another day, Ghazanfar walked away visibly dejected, knowing a golden chance had gone begging. The comic error, however, left Twitter in splits, turning an otherwise dominant Afghan performance into a moment of light-hearted banter.