Nepal Shock Afghanistan With Five-Wicket Win at Asian Games

Nepal produced one of the early surprises in Asian Games cricket by defeating Afghanistan by five wickets in their Group A encounter.

Chasing a modest target of 103, Nepal reached the required total in 17.2 overs with 16 balls to spare, securing their second T20 victory over Afghanistan.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first at the Nishin Koryo Sports Park. However, Nepal’s bowlers kept the Afghan batting lineup under pressure throughout the innings.

Lalit Rajbanshi claimed three wickets, while Kushal Bhurtel took four as Afghanistan were restricted to 102 for seven in 20 overs.

Faisal Shinwazada and Najibullah Zadran were Afghanistan’s leading scorers, with both batters making 30 runs. But the rest of the batting lineup struggled to build partnerships, leaving Afghanistan with a below-par total.

Nepal also suffered an early setback during the chase. They lost three wickets for just 31 runs, giving Afghanistan an opportunity to take control of the match.

However, Sandeep Jora and Rohit Paudel steadied the innings with valuable contributions. Jora scored 34, while captain Paudel remained unbeaten on 33 to guide Nepal towards victory.

Nepal eventually reached 103 for five in 17.2 overs to complete a convincing five-wicket win.

The result marks Nepal’s second T20 victory over Afghanistan and gives them a memorable start to their Asian Games campaign.