Nepal produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Afghanistan by five wickets in their Group A opening fixture at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on 25 September, marking a strong start to their Asian Games men's cricket campaign.

Nepal Chase Down 103 With Composure

Rohit Paudel finished unbeaten on 33 off 32 balls, while Sundeep Jora contributed 34 off 35 before being run out, and captain Dipendra Singh Airee added a crucial 15 off 18 to guide Nepal home. The target of 103 — revised after Afghanistan were bowled out for 102 — was never truly threatening, though Nepal lost early wickets to keep the chase interesting.

Nepal's chase began poorly when opener Kushal Bhurtel was dismissed for a duck by Afghanistan left-arm seamer Faridoon Dawoodzai, and Aasif Sheikh was caught for 2 off right-arm speedster Abdullah Ahmadzai. When Kushal Malla was run out in the seventh over with Nepal at 31 for 3, Afghanistan momentarily scented a revival.

Sundeep and Rohit steadied the ship, finding boundaries at regular intervals. Sundeep struck a four and a six across the ninth and tenth overs before his run-out handed Afghanistan hope. Dipendra then joined Rohit, and the two added crucial runs through singles and doubles, before Rohit hammered three fours in the 16th and 17th overs to bring the finish line into sight. After Dipendra's departure with the scores level in the 18th over, Gulsan Jha sealed the win with a single.

Bhurtel and Rajbanshi Spin Afghanistan Out

Nepal's bowlers laid the foundation for the win. Leg-spinner Kushal Bhurtel claimed four wickets, while left-arm finger spinner Lalit Rajbanshi was even more miserly, conceding just 13 runs from his four overs and taking three wickets. Together they accounted for seven of Afghanistan's wickets and strangled the innings throughout.

For Afghanistan — fielding a second-string squad — Faisal Shinozada and Najibullah Zadran both scored 30 each in identical contributions, while Nangeyalia Kharoti made 17 late in the innings. Despite those efforts, Afghanistan could manage only 102, a total their bowlers were always likely to find insufficient.

Group A Standings and What Comes Next

With this defeat, Afghanistan have one win and one loss from two Group A matches. They sit atop the three-team Group A table on net run rate (NRR) despite the setback, with no further matches to play in the league stage. Nepal, now with one win from one match, will face a winless Japan in their second and final league game — a fixture that should determine the second qualifier from the group alongside Afghanistan.

Each team in the Asian Games cricket format plays only two league matches, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals. Nepal's comprehensive performance against a higher-ranked side will significantly boost their confidence ahead of that decider against Japan.