Aasif Sheikh made domestic cricket history with a stunning 208 as Armed Police Force Club defeated Madhesh Province by 74 runs in Match 41 of the PM Cup at Narayani Cricket Ground, Birgunj.
The APF opener became the first player to score a double century in Nepal's domestic cricket. His 208 came off 142 balls and included 15 fours and 17 sixes. He later retired out in the 46th over after taking APF to a commanding position.
Aasif's knock came on the same day when Binod Bhandari had rewritten the record books with 189 for Tribhuvan Army Club. Before that, Pradeep Airee's 158 for APF against Madhesh Province in Kirtipur in 2018 had stood as the highest score in Nepal's domestic competitions. Aasif had already made a century earlier in this year's PM Cup, scoring 114 against Bagmati Province in Mulpani, but this innings took him into a different bracket.
APF finished on 390 for 5 in 50 overs. Rohit Paudel added 55, Sundeep Jora made 56, and the pair gave Aasif strong support through the middle overs. Lokesh Bam and Kamal Airee then added unbeaten late runs as APF closed in on 400.
Madhesh fought hard in reply and put up 316 for 8, but the target was always steep. Arniko Yadav scored 86 off 73 balls, while Aadil Alam blasted 87 off just 43, with six fours and eight sixes. Bishal Shusling also made 39, but Madhesh had already fallen too far behind the rate.
APF's bowlers shared the wickets, with Rupesh Singh taking 3 for 80. Kamal Airee claimed two wickets, while Ranjit Kumar, Bhuvan Karki and Rohit Paudel took one each. The margin of victory underlined just how far Aasif's innings had pushed the match away from Madhesh.
