Nepal vs Afghanistan Asian Games 2026 Group A Highlights: Nepal Cause Major Upset, Win By 5 Wickets

Nepal faces Japan up next - That wraps up a comprehensive victory for Nepal as they march forward with immense confidence. The action continues right away in the Asian Games, where Nepal will take on Japan on 26th September, Saturday at 12 am GMT, while Malaysia and Oman go up against each other at 5 am GMT. Make sure to tune in for both exciting clashes. Cheers for now!

Rohit and Jora steady the chase - Chasing a small target of 103, Nepal's response did not start well as they slumped early to a precarious 12 for 2. However, a target this small only required a couple of steady partnerships in the 20s to swing the momentum back. Rohit Paudel anchored the innings beautifully, while Sundeep Jora played a crucial knock in the 30s, helping the middle order fire and see Nepal past the total without any major difficulty. In contrast, Afghanistan's spinners failed to make much of an impact on the surface, which ultimately cost them the game.

Bhurtel and Lalit extinguish Afghan hopes - Nepal's bowling performance was exceptional, spearheaded by a brilliant spell from Kushal Bhurtel, who picked up 4 wickets to dismantle the top and middle order. He was perfectly complemented by Lalit Rajbanshi, who took 3 crucial scalps to ensure Afghanistan never got away. The duo kept a tight lid on the scoring rate and regularly broke partnerships, ensuring the target remained just a little over the 100-run mark.

Afghanistan restricted to 102 - Afghanistan chose to bat first but found it difficult to break free against a disciplined bowling attack, eventually finishing their innings on a modest 102 runs. The Afghan batting effort was primarily held together by a couple of fighting 30s from Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran, who tried to rebuild the innings during the middle overs. However, the lack of acceleration from the other end kept Afghanistan from posting a truly competitive total on the board.

Gulshan Jha hits the winning run! Arab Gul fires this one, full and on middle, Jha drills it towards mid on and sets of for the run. The fielder fails to pick it up cleanly and Jha makes his ground. NEPAL WIN BY 5 WICKETS, with 16 balls to spare.

Gulshan Jha is out to bat next for Nepal.

OUT! CAUGHT! Dipendra Singh Airee holes out, trying to go for the glory shot. Tossed up, full and on middle, turns away. Airee goes down for the big slog sweep but gets a top edge. It goes high in the air towards the mid on region. Najibullah Zadran from mid-wicket runs towards it, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes a safe catch.

FOUR! SCORES LEVEL! Short of a length and around middle. Rohit Paudel opens up his stance, gets on top of the bounce and swats it away to the wide long on fence for a boundary.

Pitched up, outside off, Dipendra Singh Airee bunts it out to extra cover for a run.

Low full toss, on middle, Dipendra Singh Airee tucks it to short mid-wicket.