Spinners fashion Nepal's impressive opening win
Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi combined for seven Afghanistan wickets before Nepal chased down 103 with 16 balls left
Nepal kicked off their Asian Games 2026 campaign with a memorable five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their Group A clash in Nisshin. Afghanistan struggled to find momentum against a disciplined Nepalese bowling attack and could muster only 102/7 in their allotted 20 overs as Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi picked seven wickets between them. Nepal suffered early setbacks in the chase but crucial knocks in the 30s from Sundeep Jora and Rohit Paudel steered them to an upset win.
Bhurtel spearheaded the attack for Nepal, picking up four wickets for 21 runs in his four-over spell that included a maiden while Rajbanshi bagged figures of 3 for 13. Afghanistan were off to a slow start as Nepal's spinners capitalized on the supportive pitch conditions.
Rajbanshi sent the top-three packing inside five overs to reduce Afghanistan to 16/3 before a 39-run stand ensued between Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran. The duo made 30 each and both fell to Bhurtel at either end of his spell. Shinozada's departure triggered a mini collapse of 3 for 10 runs, never allowing Afghanistan any late charge. Zadran also stitched a 30-run stand with Nangeyalia Kharoti for the seventh wicket, that eventually put their team on course for a three-figure total.
Chasing a modest target of 103, Nepal encountered a few early hiccups as Afghanistan's bowlers sought early breakthroughs. In fact, Nepal were only marginally better at 31/3 halfway into the seventh over.
However, Jora and Paudel anchored the run chase, ensuring no major stumbles. Jora played a key knock of 34 runs to steady the innings, while Paudel anchored the final stretch with an unbeaten 33 in 32 deliveries. Jora fell at the halfway mark, with Nepal needing another 47 in 60, and Paudel combined with skipper Dipendra Singh Airee to add 46 runs in 43 balls to eventually help Nepal comfortably cross the finishing line with 16 balls to spare.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 102/7 in 20 overs (Faisal Shinozada 30, Najibullah Zadran 30; Kushal Bhurtel 4-21, Lalit Rajbanshi 3-13) lost to Nepal 103/5 in 17.2 overs (Sundeep Jora 34, Rohit Paudel 34*; Faridoon Dawoodzai 1-10, Arab Gul Momand 1-13) by 5 wickets
