During the present Asian Games cricket competition in
Hangzhou, China, the men’s cricket team from Nepal permanently inscribed their
names in history. On September 27, they shattered numerous records in a
brilliant display of talent.
In the match against Mongolia, which served as the
opening act of the men’s cricket competition at this continental conference,
they accomplished records-breaking accomplishments.
Nepal displayed exceptional skill throughout the game,
compiling a formidable score of 314/3 in the allowed 20 overs. This incredible
feat tops the previous T20I record, which was set by Afghanistan against
Ireland in 2019, and stood at 278/3.
In addition, Nepal’s batters demonstrated their prowess
with the long ball by blasting an incredible 26 sixes in a single innings. This
incredible accomplishment has now surpassed Afghanistan’s record of 22 sixes
when they posted 278/3 in 2019 to become the most sixes by any side in T20I
history within a single inning.
The fastest T20I cricket half-century and century
stand out as two noteworthy records. In just nine deliveries, Nepalese
all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee reached fifty, breaking the previous record of
12 balls set by legendary Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh at the 2007 ICC T20
World Cup.
In that iconic game, Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for
six straight sixes in a single over. With 52 runs off just 10 balls, Airee
ended his innings unbeaten. Amazingly, eight of those runs were sixes that flew
over the boundary. His astounding 520 strike rate also sets a T20I innings
record.
Meanwhile, Kushal Malla outpaced T20I stalwarts like
India’s Rohit Sharma and South Africa’s David Miller to claim the record for
the fastest T20I century, achieving this feat in a mere 34 deliveries. Malla’s
innings culminated with a score of 137 runs off 50 balls, featuring eight fours
and an impressive tally of 12 sixes.