Nepal hammered Malaysia by 167 runs in the Asian Games Men’s Qualifier in Singapore on Thursday, and Kushal Bhurtel was at the center of it again. His 126 off 54 balls, packed with 14 fours and eight sixes, helped Nepal post 275-7 and then leave Malaysia stranded at 108-9.
The result gave Nepal back-to-back wins and lifted them to the top of Group A, which is why the search for Hong Kong Vs Oman-style qualifier updates is now turning to Nepal’s surge. Bhurtel has now followed his 129 against China with a second straight T20I century, becoming only the 10th batter in men’s T20 internationals to score centuries in consecutive innings.
He also moved past Dipendra Singh Airee to become Nepal’s leading run-scorer in T20 internationals, reaching 2,240 runs in 78 matches. Airee, who had held the mark with 2,211 runs in 98 matches, added 31 off 11 balls in the same game, while Aasif Sheikh matched the tempo with 68 off 24 balls. Together, Bhurtel and Sheikh put on 134 runs inside nine overs, and Nepal never really lost control after that burst.
The innings still began with a stumble, though. Nepal lost the toss and were put into bat, then recovered from Rohit Paudel’s duck and pushed on with contributions from Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Karan KC and Sompal Kami. Bhurtel’s run of form has now made him the first Nepali player to score three centuries in T20 internationals, a list that also includes his unbeaten 104 against the Philippines in the 2022 Global World Cup Qualifier.
Malaysia could never answer the score. Captain Syed Aziz top-scored with 54 off 45 balls, but Sher Malla took 3-14 for Nepal and was backed by wickets from Sandeep Lamichhane, Airee, Karan KC, Kushal Malla and Sompal Kami as Malaysia were bowled out in 20 overs. Nepal had already beaten China by 221 runs earlier in the tournament, and if this form holds, Group A now looks like theirs to lose.
