Hangzhou: Nepal’s men’s cricket team etched their name into the annals of the sport’s history by becoming the first-ever men’s team to score over 300 runs in a T20 international match. This extraordinary feat unfolded at the Asian Games in Hangzhou as Nepal took on Mongolia.
Nepal’s batsmen unleashed a relentless onslaught, amassing a monumental total of 314-3 in their allotted 20 overs, shattering the previous record of 278-3 set by Afghanistan against Ireland in 2019. The Zhejiang University for Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field played host to this remarkable achievement on a sunny morning.
Leading the charge for Nepal was Kushal Malla, batting at number three, who etched his name in history by crafting the fastest T20 international century ever recorded, reaching the milestone in just 34 balls. Malla’s breathtaking innings culminated in an astonishing 50-ball century, a blistering display that included an incredible 12 sixes and eight fours.
Captain Rohit Paudel also contributed significantly to the run-fest, scoring an explosive 61 off 27 balls, peppered with six sixes. However, it was Dipendra Singh Airee who put the finishing touches on Nepal’s innings in a manner that can only be described as extraordinary. Airee’s unbeaten 52 came off a mere 10 balls as he hammered an unbelievable eight sixes, leaving Mongolian bowlers helpless in the face of his onslaught.
Nepal’s relentless power-hitting spree resulted in a record-breaking 26 sixes during their innings, eclipsing Afghanistan’s previous record of 22 against Ireland.
Mongolia, who had faced a daunting task, saw their innings crumble, with the team being dismissed for just 41 runs. This incredible margin of victory for Nepal, a staggering 273 runs, now stands as the largest in terms of runs ever recorded in a T20 international match. This achievement eclipses the Czech Republic’s 257-run victory against Turkey in 2019.
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