Bhurtel and Rajbanshi Star as Nepal Defeat Afghanistan by Five Wickets

Asian Games 2026 ke Men's T20 Cricket Tournament mein Nepal ne spin bowler Kushal Bhurtel aur Lalit Rajbanshi ke shandar pradarshan ki badaulat Afghanistan ko 5 wickets se harakar ahem jeet darj ki.

1st Innings: Afghanistan 102/7 (20 overs)

Spin Masterclass: Afghanistan ne toss jeetkar pehle batting karne ka faisla kiya, lekin Nepal ke spinners ne unhe shuruat se hi dabav mein rakha.

Bhurtel-Rajbanshi Duo: Kushal Bhurtel ne 4/21 (4 overs) aur Lalit Rajbanshi ne behad economical bowling karte hue 3/13 (4 overs) chatkaye, jisse dono ne milkar Afghanistan ke sabhi 7 wickets le liye.

Fightback: Afghanistan ki taraf se Faisal Khan (30) aur veteran Najibullah Zadran (30) ne ahem pariya kheli, jisse team 102 runs tak pahunch saki.

2nd Innings: Nepal 103/5 (17.2 overs)

Early Hiccups: 103 runs ke target ka picha karte hue Nepal ki shuruat kharab rahi aur unhone Powerplay mein hi 3 wickets gawa diye.

Paudel-Airee Partnership: Captain Rohit Paudel (33) aur Dipendra Singh Airee (15) ne 5th wicket ke liye 46-run ki partnership karke innings ko sambhala.

Sandeep Jora's Finishing Touch: Sandeep Jora (34 off 35 balls) ne disciplined batting ki aur Nepal ko 16 balls baaki rehte hi 5 wickets se jeet dila di.

Brief Scorecard

Afghanistan: 102/7 in 20 overs (Faisal Khan 30, Najibullah Zadran 30; Kushal Bhurtel 4/21, Lalit Rajbanshi 3/13)

Nepal: 103/5 in 17.2 overs (Sandeep Jora 34, Rohit Paudel 33; Arab Gul 1/13, Abdullah Ahmadzai 1/15)

Result: Nepal won by 5 wickets.