Nepal beats Afghanistan by five wickets at Asian Games

Nepal defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the men’s Asian Games T20 cricket competition on Friday, September 25, reaching a target of 103 with 16 balls to spare. Nepal finished on 103 for five in 17.2 overs after Afghanistan made 102 for seven in 20 overs. Kushal Bhurtel took four wickets and Lalit Rajbanshi claimed three to restrict Afghanistan. Najibullah Zadran and Faisal Khan Ahmadzai each scored 30, the highest totals for Afghanistan, while Nangeyalia Kharote added an unbeaten 17. Afghanistan lost wickets regularly and did not build a larger total. Nepal’s chase began poorly, with opener Bhurtel dismissed for a duck and Aasif Sheikh out for two. Sundeep Jora steadied the innings with 34 from 35 balls, and Rohit Paudel made an unbeaten 33 from 32. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee scored 15 before being dismissed with Nepal close to victory. Nepal completed the chase in 17.2 overs. The result followed Afghanistan’s opening-match win over Japan, according to reports on the group campaign. It was Nepal’s first T20 victory over Afghanistan since the teams met at the 2014 T20 World Cup, according to match reports.