• Source:JND
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Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was critical of the hectic scheduling, calling it 'not so ideal" as he stated that his team, which is staying in Dubai, will have to travel nearly two hours to Abu Dhabi on its match days. Addressing a press conference before the tournament opener, Rashid, along with the other captains, spoke candidly as Afghanistan are set to take on Hong Kong in its tournament opener at Abu Dhabi.

"Well, I don't think it's ideal - that's what we were discussing (with the other captains) before as well," Rashid said during the mandatory captains' press meet.

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Interestingly, the T20 superstar stated his predicament in front of the Asian Cricket Council head and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi in attendance.

"To play in Abu Dhabi and stay here in Dubai for all three games...it's different. But as professional cricketers, we have to accept these things," said the highest wicket-taker in T20I history.

Rashid Khan-led side will take on Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on September 16 and 18 in their Group B fixtures.

But Rashid, who has 170 T20I wickets, also said that as a professional, he has to forget the scheduling and focus on the game.

"Once you enter the ground, you tend to forget everything else. In other countries, we often fly two-three hours and go straight to the game. I remember flying from Bangladesh to the US once and playing straightaway."

Afghanistan vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2025 Squads

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Hong Kong Squad: Zeeshan Ali(w), Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Anshuman Rath, Martin Coetzee, Yasim Murtaza(c), Aizaz Khan, Nasrulla Rana, Ehsan Khan, Ali Hassan, Ateeq Iqbal, Kalhan Challu, Ayush Shukla, Kinchit Shah, Mohammad Waheed, Shahid Wasif and Mohammad Ghazanfar.

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