Records shatter as Nepal beat Kuwait by six wickets

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Apr. 11: Explosive batting by Kushal Bhurtel and Dipendra Singh Airee helped Nepal secure a six-wicket victory over Kuwait in the Hong Kong Quadrangular Twenty20 International Series on Thursday. This marked Nepal's second consecutive win in the tournament.

Nepal completed their highest successful T20I chase, overhauling Kuwait's target of 186 runs at the Mission Road Ground, Mong Kok, with seven balls to spare. Nepal lost four wickets during the chase, surpassing their previous best of 166 runs against Malaysia.

Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh provided Nepal with a solid start, sharing a 127-run partnership for the first wicket. This stand not only laid the foundation for victory but also broke Nepal's record for the highest first-wicket partnership in T20Is, which was 116 runs against the Netherlands in 2021.

Bhurtel smashed his 11th T20I half-century, scoring a blistering 81 runs off 50 balls, including six fours and six sixes. He now holds the record for the most T20I half-centuries by a Nepali player, overtaking Dipendra Singh Airee, who has nine fifties. 

Aasif Sheikh contributed 53 runs off 38 balls. He it two fours and four sixes for his seventh T20I fifty. Aasif was caught by Nimish Lathief off Mohammed Aslam's bowling in the 14th over. 

Spinner Yasin Patel then struck twice in the 16th over, dismissing Bhurtel (caught at long-on by Nimish) and Kushal Malla (caught and bowled). Malla managed only four runs off six balls.

Dipendra Singh Airee stepped up with his fireworks taking Nepal closer to victory. He blasted 31 runs off just 12 balls with two fours and three sixes. Nepal needed nine runs when Dipendra was caught by Mohammed Shafeeq in the first ball of the 19th over.

Dipendra's explosive cameo also set a new T20I record. He has now played the most innings in T20Is without ever being dismissed for a duck. Out of 76 matches, he has batted in 66 innings without getting out on zero and did not bat in 10 games. He surpassed West Indies' Marlon Samuels, who played 65 innings without a duck. Dipendra also holds the fastest T20I half-century record, scored in nine balls, and is among the few players to hit six sixes in an over.

Gulshan Jha sealed the victory in style, smashing two consecutive boundaries off Shafeeq. He remained unbeaten on nine runs off three balls, alongside captain Rohit Paudel, who scored four runs off five balls. Nepal chased down the target in 18.5 overs.

For Kuwait, Yasin Patel was the standout bowler, claiming two wickets for 17 runs in his four-over spell.

Earlier, Kuwait, invited to bat first, posted 185 runs for eight wickets in their 20 overs. Ravija Sandaruwan and Clinto Anto gave a decent start with a 43-run opening stand. Ravija hit 26 runs off 15 balls, including two fours and a six, before being dismissed by Lalit Rajbanshi.

Clinto Anto top-scored with 41 runs off 30 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. He added 54 runs for the second wicket with Meet Bhavsar before falling in the 10th over. Meet scored 35 runs off 28 balls, including two fours and two sixes, before being bowled by Sompal Kami in the 14th over. Two balls later, Sompal dismissed Usman Patel for 13 runs.

Bilal Tahir's quick-fire 32 off 13 balls, laced with one four and four sixes, kept Kuwait in the hunt before Nandan Yadav dismissed him in the 18th over. Captain Mohammed Aslam added 17 runs off 13 balls before being run out on the final ball of the innings.

For Nepal, Sompal Kami took three wickets for 36 runs, while Nandan Yadav claimed two for 34. Lalit Rajbanshi and Kushal Bhurtel chipped in with a wicket each.

With this win, Nepal tops the table with four points and strengthens its chances of reaching the final. Nepal faces hosts Hong Kong on Saturday in their last league-stage match. Hong Kong, with two points, sits second, ahead of Kuwait on run rate. Both teams have one win each, while Qatar remains winless in the tournament.