Nepal national cricket team made a mockery of Mongolia in the first match of the men's competition at the Asian Games 2023 on Wednesday, September 27. Put into bat first in the Group A match at Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, Hangzhou, China, the Rhinos, the nickname of the team, ran berserk against a side entirely made up of T20I debutants. They rode record-breaking knocks from Kushal Malla (137 not out off 50 balls) and Dipendra Singh Airee (52 off 10 not out) to post a massive total of 314/3 in 20 overs for the first-ever 300-plus score in T20I history. They then dismissed Mongolia for 41 runs in just 13.1 overs thus registering a 273-run win -- which is also another world record. Only one Mongolian batter reached a double-digit score, 10 in 23 by Davaasuren Jamyansuren. The innings witnessed five ducks. The three-team group also has the Maldives. Nepal next face the Maldives on October 1. Catch key highlights and cricket scores of the NEP vs MGL match here. (Scorecard | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
Nepal win!
Nepal have blown away Mongolia by bundling them out for 41 runs.
T20I Records Broken Today
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- Kushal Malla, a 19-year-old left-handed batter, struck the fastest-ever T20I hundred in 34 balls, eclipsing David Miller and Rohit Sharma's joint previous record (35 balls). Batting at No 3, Malla smashed 12 sixes and eight fours to remain unbeaten on 137 and power Nepal to the highest-ever T20I score of 314 for 3 against Mongolia, who opted to field.
- Their No 5 batter Dipendra Singh Airee also rewrote the record books, blasting a nine-ball fifty that bettered Yuvraj Singh's 16-year-old record. Yuvraj took 12 balls for his fifty en route to scoring 58 in the World T20 match against England on September 19, 2007.
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Mongolia's bowling makes a sorry reading
Mongolia's bowlers were hammered through all corners of the ground including Mungun Altankhuyag (1/55 in 3 overs) and Turmunkh Tumursukh (0/55 in 3 overs)
Kushal Malla's 137 was well supported by skipper Rohit Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee
Rohit Paudel (61) and Dipendra Singh Airee (52) well supported Malla in the middle.
Nepal Score 314/3 In 20 Overs
Thanks To Kushal Malla's century, Nepal have amassed 314 in 20 overs. This happens to be the highest score in T20Is. Previous best was 278 by Afghanistan.
Toss Update:
Mongolia won the toss and elected to field against Nepal.
Playing XIs
Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Malla, Rohit Paudel (c), Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Abinash Bohara, Gulsan Jha, Dipendra Singh Airee.
Mongolia: Mungun Altankhuyag, Davaasuren Jamyansuren, Luvsanzundui Erdenebulgan (c), Od Lutbayar, Enkhtuvshin Munkhbat, Namsrai Bat-yalalt, Nyambaatar Naranbaatar, Enkh-erdene Otgonbayar (wk), Tur-erdene Sumiya, Buyantushig Terbish, Tumursukh Turmunkh.
Note: All the Mongolian players are making their respective T20I debuts.
14 nations are in the fray with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka entering the competition proper, from the knock-outs. In the group stage, there are nine teams, others being -- Cambodia, Hong Kong and Japan in Group B; Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand in Group C. The three group winners will progress to the knockouts.
Cricket became a part of the Asiad programme in 2010, in the Guangzhou Games, more than a decade after it last featured in a major multi-sport event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. In Guangzhou, Bangladesh defeated Afghanistan to claim the gold medal, while Pakistan got the better of Sri Lanka in the bronze play-off. Four years later, Sri Lanka triumphed against Afghanistan in the Incheon gold medal match, while Bangladesh beat Hong Kong to take home bronze.
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On Monday, India women defeated Sri Lanka women in the gold medal match while Bangladesh women humbled two-time defending champions Pakistan women in the bronze medal play-off. Both Indian men's and women's cricket teams are competing in the Asian Games for the first time.
