Kushal Bhurtel turned Nepal's Asian Games Men’s T20I Qualifier opener into a record-breaking exhibition, smashing 129 off 43 balls as Nepal crushed China by 221 runs in Singapore on Sunday.
Nepal posted 313 for 2 after being sent in to bat. China were then bowled out for 92 in 19.2 overs. The result gave Nepal a dominant start to the qualifier and placed Bhurtel at the centre of another historic T20I day for Nepali cricket.
Bhurtel's innings included five fours and 16 sixes. The 16 sixes are the most by a Nepal batter in a T20I innings, going past Kushal Malla’s 12 against Mongolia in 2023. He also broke Malla’s Nepal record for most boundary runs in a T20I innings, scoring 116 runs in fours and sixes.
The biggest moment came when Bhurtel hit six consecutive sixes in one over. He became only the sixth batter to achieve the feat in men’s T20Is, joining Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Dipendra Singh Airee, Darius Visser and Manan Bashir.
It also made Nepal the first team to have two different batters hit six sixes in an over in men’s T20Is. Dipendra had done it against Qatar in 2024. Bhurtel has now joined him in the rarest six-hitting club.
Bhurtel also went past Dipendra for the most sixes by a Nepal batter in T20Is. He moved to 99 career sixes, overtaking Dipendra’s previous Nepal record of 89.
Nepal's innings did not rely on Bhurtel alone. Kushal Malla made an unbeaten 85 from 47 balls, hitting eight fours and five sixes. Captain Rohit Paudel then finished the innings with a 21-ball 69 not out, which included five fours and seven sixes.
Together, Nepal hit 29 sixes in the innings. That equalled the record for most sixes by a team in a T20 innings.
The 313 for 2 is the third-highest total in men’s T20Is. It also made Nepal the first team to cross 300 twice in the format. Nepal still hold the second-highest T20I total, 314 for 3 against Mongolia at the 2023 Asian Games.
China's bowlers had a brutal day. Zong Yuechao conceded 65 runs, the most by a China bowler in a T20I innings, going past Tian Sen Qun’s 42.
China's chase never threatened Nepal. Shenjian Zheng was the only batter to counterattack, scoring 31 off 15 balls. He hit four sixes, a new China record for most sixes in a T20I innings.
Kushal Malla completed a fine all-round game with three wickets. Sompal Kami and Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets each as China were dismissed with four balls left.
Nepal’s 221-run win is among the biggest victories by runs in T20I history. More importantly, it gave Nepal a statement start in the qualifier, with Malaysia next in their group campaign.
