Hangzhou: Nepal’s cricket team created history on Wednesday, September 27, in the Asian Games 2023, as they became the first team to cross the 300-run mark in T20 International cricket. They also smashed three individual world records in their match against Mongolia at the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field.
Nepal’s star batsman Dipendra Singh Airee achieved a feat that no other batsman in the world had ever done before. He blasted a brilliant half-century in just nine balls in the T20 International match against Mongolia. He hit six sixes in a row, emulating India’s Yuvraj Singh, who had done the same in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup against England. Airee scored 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 2, 6, 6 to reach his fifty and broke Yuvraj’s world record of the fastest half-century in 12 balls.
Airee’s partner at the other end was not far behind. The 19-year-old left-handed batsman Kushal Malla scored the fastest century in T20 International cricket in just 34 balls. He surpassed the previous world record shared by South Africa’s David Miller and India’s Rohit Sharma, who had both scored centuries in 35 balls. Malla remained unbeaten on 137 runs off 50 balls, hitting 12 sixes and eight fours.
The duo added an unbeaten partnership of 232 runs for the fourth wicket and propelled Nepal to a mammoth total of 314 for three in 20 overs. This is the highest score ever made by any team in T20 International cricket. The previous record was held by Afghanistan, who had scored 278 for three against Ireland on February 23, 2019.
Nepal also set other records in their innings. They hit the most sixes by any team in a T20 International innings with 26 sixes. They also had the highest run rate of 15.70 runs per over in a completed T20 International innings.
Mongolia had no answer to Nepal’s onslaught and was bowled out for a paltry 41 runs in 13.1 overs. Nepal won the match by a massive margin of 273 runs, which is also the biggest victory margin by any team in T20 International cricket.
Nepal cricket team created history:
- Became the first team to score 300 runs in T20.
- Highest ever score of 312 runs in T20.
- Fastest T20 century: Kushal Malla hits century on 34 balls.
- Fastest T20I half-century, Deepender Singh hits half-century in 9 balls.
- After India’s Yuvraj Singh, Deependra Singh Airi hit 6 consecutive sixes.
- The Nepal team hit a maximum of 26 sixes in an inning.
