Nepal secured a significant five-wicket win against Afghanistan in their opening Group A match of the Asian Games 2026, held in Nisshin. The victory was largely driven by a clinical performance from the Nepalese spinners, who dismantled the Afghanistan lineup and restricted them to a modest 102/7 in their allocated 20 overs. Kushal Bhurtel and Lalit Rajbanshi proved nearly unplayable, combining to take seven wickets and stifling any attempt by the opposition to build momentum. Afghanistan were off to a slow start as Nepal’s spinners capitalized on the supportive pitch conditions.
Lalit Rajbanshi was particularly lethal with the new ball, dismissing Afghanistan’s top three batsmen within the first five overs to leave the side reeling at 16/3. Kushal Bhurtel spearheaded the bowling unit with impressive figures of 4-21 in four overs, a spell that included a maiden. Rajbanshi finished with 3-13. A brief recovery occurred through a 39-run partnership between Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran, who each scored 30 runs before falling to Bhurtel. Late resistance from Zadran, who added 30 runs alongside Nangeyalia Kharoti for the seventh wicket, ultimately pushed Afghanistan past the century mark. The duo made 30 each and both fell to Bhurtel at either end of his spell. That eventually put their team on course for a three-figure total, zadran also stitched a 30-run stand with Nangeyalia Kharoti for the seventh wicket.
Chasing 103 for victory, Nepal faced early pressure from the Afghan bowlers, slipping to 31/3 by the seventh over. However, the middle order stabilized the innings with composure. Sundeep Jora played a pivotal role with 34 runs to steady the chase. Following his departure at the halfway stage, Rohit Paudel took charge, anchoring the final phase with an unbeaten 33 off 32 balls. Alongside captain Dipendra Singh Airee, Paudel added 46 runs in 43 balls, allowing Nepal to reach the target comfortably with 16 balls remaining. Chasing a modest target of 103, Nepal encountered a few early hiccups as Afghanistan’s bowlers sought early breakthroughs.
The match concluded with Nepal finishing on 103/5 in 17.2 overs. For Afghanistan, bowlers Faridoon Dawoodzai and Arab Gul Momand managed one wicket each for 10 and 13 runs respectively, but the early damage done by the Nepal spinners proved too much to overcome in the low-scoring encounter.
