Nepal Makes History: Nepal’s men’s cricket team created history during their Asian Games group match against Mongolia on Wednesday. This milestone moment occurred in the first match of the men’s cricket tournament in Hangzhou, following India’s gold medal win in the women’s event earlier in the week. Nepal showcased their batting prowess as they amassed an impressive score of 314/3 in just 20 overs. With this achievement, they became the first team ever to breach the 300-run milestone in the T20I format. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had already confirmed that the matches at the Asian Games would hold T20I status.
Nepal Makes History in Asian Games
In addition to this remarkable team performance, Dipendra Singh Airee set a new record by surpassing Yuvraj Singh’s long-standing record for the fastest T20I half-century. Yuvraj had held the record by scoring a fifty in 12 balls during a match against England in the 2007 World T20, where he also hit six sixes in six balls. Airee accomplished this milestone in just nine deliveries, concluding with an undefeated score of 52 runs in only 10 balls, with 48 runs coming from six sixes.
The excitement didn’t end there, as Kushal Malla outshone India’s captain Rohit Sharma and South Africa’s star batter David Miller by achieving the fastest T20I century. He reached this milestone in a mere 34 deliveries, one ball faster than both Rohit and Miller. Malla’s incredible innings included 8 fours and an astonishing 12 sixes, and he remained unbeaten with a score of 137 runs from just 50 deliveries.
Regarding Mongolia, their bowlers Luvsanzundui Erdenebulgan (1/47), Davaasuren Jamyansuren (1/60), and Mungun Altankhuyag (1/55) each managed to pick up a wicket.
The match ended with Mongolia being bowled out for a mere 41 runs, resulting in a resounding victory for Nepal by a margin of 273 runs.
Here’s a list of the highest T20I scores in history:
- Nepal – 314/4 vs Mongolia (2023)
- Afghanistan – 278/3 vs Ireland (2019)
- Czech Republic – 278/4 vs Turkey (2019)
- Australia – 263/3 vs Sri Lanka (2016)
- Sri Lanka – 260/6 vs Kenya (2007)
The men’s competition at the Asian Games is divided into three groups, each comprising three teams. The top-ranked team from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, where they will be joined by India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
