New Delhi: In a major upset at the Asian Games 2026, the Nepal men’s cricket team stunned Afghanistan with a comfortable five-wicket victory in their Group A opening match on Friday. Driven by a sensational performance from their spin attack and composed middle-order batting, Nepal successfully chased down a modest target of 103 runs at the Kurogi Sports Park in Japan.
The victory heavily alters the quarterfinal equations for Group A. With this win, Nepal currently sits in the second position with two points from one match. Afghanistan, having played both their group-stage matches, remains at the top of the points table due to a better Net Run Rate (NRR), with one win and one loss. Host nation Japan occupies the bottom spot after losing their opening game. The top two teams from the group will advance to the quarterfinals, where the runner-up of Group A is slated to face heavyweights India.
Earlier in the match, Nepal’s spinners completely dismantled the Afghan batting lineup. Leg-spinner Kushal Bhurtel was the pick of the bowlers, securing exceptional figures of 4 for 21. He was well-supported by finger-spinner Lalit Rajbanshi, who bowled an incredibly economical spell, bagging three wickets for just 13 runs in his four overs. For Afghanistan, Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran fought hard with identical scores of 30 each, while Nangeyalia Kharote chipped in with an unbeaten 17. However, the team could only manage a subpar 102/7 in their allotted 20 overs.
Chasing 103, Nepal suffered early jolts as they lost openers Kushal Bhurtel (0) and Aasif Sheikh (2) cheaply to Afghan pacers Fareed Ahmad Dawoodzai and Abdullah Ahmadzai. Nepal found themselves in deeper trouble when Kushal Malla was run out, leaving the team struggling at 31/3 in the seventh over.
However, a crucial rescue act by Rohit Paudel and Sundeep Jora brought Nepal back into the contest. Jora contributed a vital 34 off 35 balls, striking a boundary and a six before being run out. Captain Dipendra Singh Airee then joined Paudel, carefully ticking the scoreboard with singles and doubles. Paudel anchored the chase brilliantly with an unbeaten 33 off 32 balls, hitting three late boundaries to bring the team to the brink of victory. Though Airee (15) was dismissed when the scores were tied in the 18th over, Gulshan Jha took a single to seal the historic win for Nepal.
Nepal will now face host Japan in their final league match to confirm their quarterfinal berth.