At the 20th Asian Games currently underway in Japan, Nepal’s men’s cricket team secured a 5-wicket victory over Afghanistan. Chasing a target of 103 runs set by Afghanistan, Nepal reached the total in 17.2 overs, losing 5 wickets in the process. Sandeep Jora scored 34 runs, while Rohit Paudel contributed an unbeaten 33 runs.
The match was held at Korogi Sports Park in Nishin, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. After winning the toss, Afghanistan elected to bat first but managed only 102 runs for 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Faizal Shinwazad was Afghanistan’s top scorer with 33 runs, followed by Najibullah Zadran with 30 and Nangalia Kharote with 17 runs. Nepal’s Kusel Bhurtel took 4 wickets, and Lalit Rajbanshi claimed 3 wickets.
Nepal is placed in Group ‘A’ alongside Afghanistan and Japan. In the opening match on Thursday, Afghanistan defeated Japan. Nepal will face Japan next on Saturday. The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals, where Nepal will compete against either India or Sri Lanka. In the previous Asian Games, Nepal was also eliminated in the quarterfinals by India.
