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In a groundbreaking moment, teenage cricket prodigy Kushal Malla shattered the record for the fastest men’s T20I century. This remarkable feat took place as Nepal etched their name in history by achieving the highest total ever recorded against Mongolia at the Asian Games.
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Malla’s astounding century came in just 34 deliveries in Hangzhou, surpassing the previous record held by a trio of players, including India’s captain Rohit Sharma. This incredible performance propelled Nepal to an astonishing total of 314/3 from their allotted 20 overs against Mongolia at the Asian Games.
Notably, this total exceeded the previous T20I record by 36 runs, with Afghanistan (278/3 against Ireland) and the Czech Republic (278/4 against Turkey) previously holding the highest totals, both from 2019.
During their explosive innings, Nepal launched an astounding 26 sixes, with Malla contributing 12 of those maximums and Dipendra Singh Airee adding eight more.
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| Nepal | 314/3 v Mongolia 2023 |
| Afghanistan | 278/3 v Ireland 2019 |
| Czech Republic | 278/4 v Turkey 2019 |
| Australia | 263/3 v Sri Lanka 2016 |
| Sri Lanka | 260/6 v Kenya 2007 |
Malla took to the crease towards the end of the fifth over when Nepal’s score was at 42/1. Undeterred by the early loss of opener Kushal Bhurtel at 66, the left-handed Malla maintained a blistering pace. He formed a formidable partnership with skipper Rohit Paudel, who contributed 61 runs from just 27 deliveries, amassing 193 runs together in less than 11 overs. Airee (52* off 10 balls) joined the onslaught during the final overs, breaking Yuvraj Singh’s record to claim the fastest T20I fifty ever in just nine deliveries.
Malla concluded his innings unbeaten at 137*, while Mongolia was bowled out for a mere 41 in response, resulting in a resounding 273-run victory for Nepal.
Earlier in the year, Nepal had reached the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, but they fell short of securing a spot in the main tournament as Sri Lanka and the Netherlands clinched the final two positions.
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