Cricket Kitchen

20th Asian Games: Nepal Defeat Afghanistan by Five Wickets

September 25, 2026

 

Kathmandu – Nepal defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the men’s cricket competition at the 20th Asian Games, currently underway in Ichinomiya-Nagoya, Japan.

After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Afghanistan scored 102 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Chasing a target of 103, Nepal reached the target in 17.2 overs, losing five wickets in the process.

Sandeep Jora was Nepal’s top scorer with 34 runs, while Rohit Paudel contributed 33 and Dipendra Singh Airee scored 15. The other Nepalese batters failed to reach double figures.

For Afghanistan, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai scored 30 runs, while Najibullah Zadran also contributed 30 and Nangeyalia Khan remained unbeaten on 17.

With the ball, Kushal Bhurtel took four wickets for Nepal, while Lalit Rajbanshi claimed three.

The match was Nepal’s first in Group ‘A’, while it was Afghanistan’s second. Afghanistan had defeated Japan by 48 runs in their opening match.