Nepal Chases Afghanistan's 102 in Asian Games Cricket Opener, Enter as Favorites

Afghanistan bats first, struggles to accelerate

Afghanistan and Nepal met on Thursday in the fourth match of Group A at the Asian Games men's cricket competition, played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first.

The innings never fully took off. Afghanistan were held to 102 for 7 from their 20 overs, with contributions spread across the order from Hassan Eisakhil, Karim Janat, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Akram, but no single partnership building the kind of total that puts real pressure on a chase.

Faisal Khan Ahmadzai made his T20I debut in the match, one of the storylines Afghanistan will take from the day regardless of the result.

Nepal enters as the favorite

With Afghanistan's total capped below 110, Nepal went into their chase as clear favorites. Cricinfo's pre-chase win-probability model had Nepal at 76.21 percent to close out the match, reflecting how modest a target 103 is on a T20 scorecard.

The match is being overseen by match referee Narayanan Kutty of India, with television umpiring duties handled by Japan's Chris Thurgate.

Why it matters

Asian Games cricket sits outside the sport's usual bilateral and franchise calendar, but for associate and emerging nations like Nepal it carries real weight, offering a rare multi-sport stage and a shot at continental silverware alongside Asia's larger cricket nations. A win over Afghanistan, a side that has reached multiple ICC global tournament knockout stages in recent years, would be a notable scalp for Nepal's Group A campaign as they push toward the later rounds of the competition.