Asian Games: Nepal hit record 314-3, fastest century and fifty

In a dazzling display of cricketing prowess, Nepal left a trail of records in their wake at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. It was a day that will be etched in the annals of T20 history, as Nepal etched their name as the first team to breach the elusive 300-run mark in men’s T20 cricket, amassing an astonishing 314-3 in their allotted 20 overs.

At the heart of this cricketing spectacle was Kushal Malla, a name that will be remembered for generations to come. Malla, a young and explosive talent, came agonizingly close to eclipsing Chris Gayle’s legendary record for the fastest century in all T20s. Gayle’s monumental achievement, accomplished in the 2013 Indian Premier League, took 30 balls to materialize. Malla’s blitzkrieg, however, was a sight to behold. He bludgeoned his way to a scintillating 137 not out from just 50 deliveries, rewriting the record books. In the process, he fell just four balls short of dethroning Gayle. It was a breathtaking exhibition of power-hitting that left spectators and cricket enthusiasts awestruck.

But Malla wasn’t alone in his quest to rewrite records on that fateful day in Hangzhou. Dipendra Singh Airee, another rising star in the Nepalese cricketing firmament, etched his name in the annals of the sport. Airee’s name will forever be synonymous with the fastest half-century in T20 internationals, a blistering onslaught that took a mere nine balls to unfold. He remained unbeaten on 52 from just 10 deliveries, a testament to his extraordinary batting prowess.

What set Airee’s innings apart was his extraordinary ability to clear the boundary ropes. He smashed an incredible eight sixes and added two well-timed twos to his tally. Remarkably, six of those sixes came off the first five deliveries he faced, leaving the Mongolian bowlers in sheer disbelief. Airee’s audacious innings culminated with a strike-rate of a mind-boggling 520 runs per hundred balls. This was cricketing history in the making, as no batter had ever achieved such a strike-rate in an innings of 10 balls or more.

Collectively, Nepal’s batting fireworks lit up the sky with an astounding 26 sixes, setting yet another record for the highest number of sixes in a T20 international innings. The previous record, held jointly by Afghanistan and the West Indies, had been surpassed, and the magnitude of Nepal’s power-hitting was a spectacle that left cricketing aficionados in sheer amazement.

In a match that saw records tumble like dominos, it’s important to note that Mongolia, an ICC associate member since 2021, was competing in their maiden international match. This clash of cricketing worlds was an embodiment of the global nature of the sport, where emerging nations can take on the giants and produce moments of cricketing magic.

As Nepal basks in the glory of this historic triumph, they have not only asserted their dominance but have also sent a resounding message to the cricketing world. Their meteoric rise in the T20 format has been nothing short of spectacular, and with talents like Malla and Airee in their ranks, the future of Nepalese cricket shines brighter than ever.

In the ever-evolving landscape of cricket, where records are meant to be broken, Nepal’s monumental achievement on that sunny day in Hangzhou will serve as a reminder that cricket is not just a sport; it’s a canvas where dreams are painted, records are shattered, and history is made. Nepal, with their fearless and audacious brand of cricket, has certainly left an indelible mark on the T20 stage, and the world can’t wait to witness what they do next.

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More about Cricket Records

• Chris Gayle’s T20 Century Record
• Asian Games Cricket Scorecard
• Nepal Cricket Team ICC Rankings
• Nepal Cricket’s Rising Profile