Nepal Secure Opening Victory Over Afghanistan at Asian Games

Nepal secured a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan to open their Asian Games cricket campaign in Nisshin. Nepal chased down the target of 102 with five wickets remaining and 16 balls to spare, after being restricted by the Afghan bowlers.

Opting to bat first, Afghanistan stumbled to 16 for 3 in the fifth over, with Rajbanshi taking all three wickets during the powerplay. The team found stability through Faisal Ahmadzai and Najibullah Zadran, both scoring 30. Ahmadzai, making his T20I debut, contributed 30 off 33 balls, while Zadran matched the same tally to help Afghanistan reach 102 for 7.

Bhurtel, the legspinner, decimated the Afghan middle order with exceptional figures of 4 for 21 in his four overs. Aside from Zadran and Ahmadzai, no other Afghanistan batter managed to surpass the 20-run mark.

Nepal’s chase began poorly as Bhurtel was dismissed for a duck in the opening over, leaving the hosts wobbling at 31 for 3 by the seventh over. However, Sundeep Jora (34) and former captain Rohit Paudel (33 not out) steadied the ship and guided Nepal back toward victory. Paul and Gulsan Jha remained unbeaten as Nepal crossed the finish line in the 18th over.

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