Hangzhou, China, September 28, 2023: Nepal rewrote the record books in cricket against Mongolia in the men’s competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Wednesday, September 27.
Records fell merrily like the mid-autumn leaves along Hangzhou’s tree-lined streets as Nepal’s batters smashed Mongolia by a massive 273 runs – yes, a record in all T20s – in the opening match of the men’s competition at the Asian Games.
The other records to fall:
· Nepal scored 314 for three wickets. It was the first time a side has scored more than 300 runs in a men’s T20 or T20 international innings. The previous highest total was 278.
· Nepal’s Kushal Malla scored a hundred in 34 balls, the fastest in T20Is. It bettered by one ball the previous record held by such illustrious batsmen like Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Australian opener David Warner.
· Nepal’s Diprenda Singh Airee smashed 50 in nine balls, the fastest fifty in all T20s beating the previous record of 12 balls.
· Airee hit eight sixes in his knock finishing on 52 off 10 balls and ended with a strike rate of 520. This is the first time in a T20 innings of more than 10 balls that a batter finished with a strike rate above 500. The previous best was 430.
· Nepal batters hit a total of 26 sixes, the most in a T20 international.
Mongolia were bowled out for 41 with 23 of these runs coming from extras – another record for highest proportion of team runs: 56 percent to come from extras.
Nepal and eight other associate countries are taking part in the preliminary rounds of the men’s cricket competition. The top four will join Asia’s top teams India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the quarterfinals starting on October 3. The final will be played on October 7.
India, filled with IPL stars, is favourite to win and join the women’s team in celebrating a golden double in their debut-appearance at an Asian Games.
