Nepal defeat Afghanistan by five wickets in Asian Games

KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in their opening match of Men’s Cricket in the 2026 Asian Games at Nisshin, Japan, on Friday.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, Afghanistan made 102 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, Nepal scored 103 runs with five wickets and 16 balls to spare.

Faisal Khan Ahmadzai and Najibullah Zadran top-scored for Afghanistan with 30 each, while Nangeyalia remained unbeaten on 17. Other Afghan batters failed to reach double digits.

Kushal Bhurtel claimed four wickets for Nepal, conceding 21 runs in his four-over spell. Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi picked up three wickets, giving away just 12 runs in his four-over spell.

Despite chasing a low total, Nepal lost openers Kushal Bhurtel for a duck and Aasif Sheikh for two in the chase. Sundeep Jora and Kushal Malla steadied the innings. Jora top-scored for Nepal with a 35-ball 34, while Malla made nine. Although Nepal came under pressure, Rohit Paudel and Captain Dipendra Singh Airee picked up singles at ease to put pressure on Afghan ballers. Paudel remained unbeaten on 33 off 32 balls, while Dipendra Singh Airee scored 15 off 18. Airee lost his wicket with the score tied at 102. Gulshan Jha took the winning single for Nepal.

Faridoon Dawoodzai, Abdollah Ahmadzai and Arab Gul picked up a wicket each for Afghanistan, while two Nepali batters were run out.

Nepal will now meet hosts Japan in their second group-stage fixture on Saturday.

Afghanistan defeated Japan by 48 runs in their first group match.

This was Nepal’s second meeting with Afghanistan in T20Is, after their 2014 World Cup match, which Nepal won by nine runs.