Nisshin, September 25, 2026: Kushal Bhurtel’s four-wicket haul and a composed batting performance helped Nepal secure a convincing five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their Group A match of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition at Korogi Sports Park on Friday.
Afghanistan captain Darwish Rasooli opted to bat first, but the decision backfired as Nepal’s Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi put the Afghan batting under pressure, restricting them to 102 for seven in their 20 overs.
Faisal Khan Ahmadzai and Najibullah Zadran were Afghanistan’s joint top-scorers with 30 runs each, while Nangeyalia Khan was the only other batter to reach double figures, scoring 17 off 15 deliveries.
Bhurtel led Nepal’s bowling attack with excellent figures of 4-21, while Rajbanshi claimed three wickets.
Nepal then chased down the 103-run target in 17.2 overs, losing five wickets to make a winning start to their Asian Games campaign.
Sandeep Jora top-scored for Nepal with a cautious 34 off 35 balls, including three fours and a six.
Experienced batter Paudel remained unbeaten on 33 off 32 deliveries, hitting four fours, and shared a crucial 46-run partnership for the fourth wicket with captain Dipendra Singh Airee, who contributed 15 off 18 balls.
For Afghanistan, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Arab Gul and Faridoon Dawoodzai took one wicket each.
The five-wicket victory gave Nepal two points in Group A. Afghanistan also have two points despite the defeat and remain at the top of the group on a superior net run rate of 0.846.
