Nepal made a winning start to their cricket campaign at the Asian Games in Nisshin, beating Afghanistan by five wickets. The Nepal spinners did most of the damage with the ball, restricting Afghanistan to 102/7 in their 20 overs. Nepal then chased down the target in 17.2 overs, losing five wickets in the process.
It was Afghanistan’s first defeat in the competition. They had beaten Japan in their opening match on Thursday.
Rajbanshi Strikes Three Times in Powerplay
Afghanistan chose to bat first but found themselves in trouble almost immediately.
They were reduced to 16/3 in the fifth over, with left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi taking all three wickets during the powerplay. His early spell put Afghanistan on the back foot and allowed Nepal to control the innings.
Faisal Ahmadzai, making his T20I debut for Afghanistan, tried to steady the innings with a 33-ball 30. Najibullah Zadran also scored 30 from 33 deliveries as the two batters helped Afghanistan recover from their poor start.
Bhurtel Runs Through Afghanistan Middle Order
Nepal continued to dominate after the powerplay, with leg-spinner Kushal Bhurtel causing more problems for Afghanistan’s middle order.
Bhurtel finished with excellent figures of 4/21 from his four overs. Apart from Najibullah and Ahmadzai, no Afghanistan batter managed to score more than 20 runs.Afghanistan eventually finished on 102/7, leaving Nepal with a modest target to chase.
ALSO READ: ENG vs SL: Kusal Mendis Breaks A Plethora Of Records After Smashing 121 Runs Against England
Nepal Stumble Before Paudel, Jora Rescue Chase
Nepal’s chase did not get off to the smoothest of starts either. Bhurtel, who had starred with the ball, was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Nepal then slipped to 31/3 by the seventh over and Afghanistan briefly sensed an opportunity.
However, Sundeep Jora and former captain Rohit Paudel put the chase back on track. Jora scored 34, while Paudel remained unbeaten on 33.
Paudel stayed at the crease until the end alongside Gulsan Jha and guided Nepal across the line in the 18th over.
Nepal’s bowlers had laid the foundation with a superb performance, and their middle order made sure the team completed the job to begin their Asian Games campaign with a victory.