A Closer Look: Nepal’s Astonishing Nine Records in Today’s Triumph

In a historic display of batting brilliance, Nepal’s cricket team achieved a resounding 273-run victory over Mongolia in the opening match of the Men’s Asian Games held in Hangzhou. The Nepalese batters shattered numerous records, leaving cricket fans in awe. Here’s a glimpse of the remarkable records that tumbled during this extraordinary encounter:

First 300+ Score in Men’s T20: Nepal’s exceptional performance led to a total of 314 runs for the loss of only 3 wickets, marking the first instance of a team scoring over 300 runs in a men’s T20 innings. This feat surpassed the previous record of 278 runs, achieved by Afghanistan against Ireland and Czech Republic against Turkey in 2019, both of which were also the highest totals in men’s T20 internationals.

Fastest Century in T20Is: Nepal’s Kushal Malla raced to his century in just 34 balls, setting a new record for the fastest century in T20 internationals. This achievement eclipsed the previous joint record held by David Miller, Rohit Sharma, and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara, who took 35 balls to reach their centuries.

Fastest Fifty in All T20s: Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee displayed remarkable prowess by hitting a fifty in just 9 balls, featuring eight sixes without a single four. This is now the fastest fifty in all T20 matches, breaking the previous record of 12 balls held jointly by Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle, and Hazratullah Zazai. Yuvraj’s fifty was scored in a T20I, while the others were in T20 matches.

Record Margin of Victory: Nepal’s astounding 273-run win against Mongolia stands as the highest margin of victory in terms of runs in all T20 matches, surpassing Czech Republic’s 257-run win against Turkey in 2019.

Unprecedented Strike Rate: Dipendra Singh Airee showcased incredible aggression with a strike rate of 520 in his unbeaten knock of 52 off 10 balls. This is the first instance in T20 cricket where a batter has scored at a 500-plus strike rate in an innings of 10 or more balls, surpassing Malcolm Waller’s previous best of 430 in 2016.

Six-Hitting Extravaganza: Nepal’s batters collectively struck 26 sixes in the match, setting a new record for the most sixes in a T20 international by a team. This achievement outshone the previous record of 22 sixes held by Afghanistan against Ireland and West Indies against South Africa in different matches.

Youthful Century-Maker: Kushal Malla, at the age of 19 years and 206 days, became the second-youngest batter to score a century in men’s T20 internationals. The youngest is Gustav Mckeon of France, who achieved this feat before turning 19 in July 2022.

Extraordinary Extras: Mongolia’s innings saw an astounding 56% of their total runs coming from extras, with 23 of their 41 runs being credited as extras. This marks the highest proportion of team runs from extras in a men’s T20 international innings (minimum: five overs bowled), surpassing the previous record of 34.6% held by China.

Historic Asian Games Century: Kushal Malla’s unbeaten 137* became the first century in the history of the Asian Games cricket competition, elevating this remarkable achievement in a tournament without T20I or T20 status.

Nepal’s stunning performance has set a high bar for the Men’s Asian Games cricket competition, leaving fans eagerly anticipating the team’s future matches.