Nepal set a host of records during their Asian Games Qualifier against China on Sunday (May 31).
Kushal Bhurtel hits six sixes in an over against China
The two sides faced off at the Singapore National Cricket Ground, China winning the toss and electing to field first. Nepal lost Aasif Sheikh in the fourth over, and at the end of the Powerplay were 48-1. Opener Kushal Bhurtel, batting on 22 off 16 at the time, then launched into Luo Shilin, hitting three sixes.
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The following over, he went 6, 4, 4 off Zong Yuechao, bringing up a 23-ball half-century in the process. But the ninth over of the innings was when he took it to another level. Left-arm spinner Chen Zhuo Yue came into the attack, and Bhurtel hit back-to-back sixes to bring up the team's 100. Three more followed suit, before Yue sent down a wide. That did not stop Bhurtel, who then sent the final ball into the stands to make it six in the over.
Yue did not bowl again in the innings, earning him the dubious distinction of the highest economy rate (37.00) in an innings in men's T20Is, for at least one over bowled. It was also the second most expensive over in men's T20I cricket – the record remains with Vanuatu's Nalin Nipiko, who conceded 39 against Samoa in 2024.
Meanwhile, Bhurtel became the sixth batter to hit six sixes in an over in men's T20Is. Nepal are now the only team that has two players to achieve this feat; Dipendra Singh Airee did it against Qatar in 2024.
Players to hit six sixes in an over in men's T20Is
| Name | For | Against | Year |
| Yuvraj Singh | India | England | 2007 |
| Kieron Pollard | West Indies | Sri Lanka | 2021 |
| Dipendra Singh Airee | Nepal | Qatar | 2024 |
| Darius Visser | Samoa | Vanuatu | 2024 |
| Manan Bashir | Bulgaria | Gibraltar | 2025 |
| Kushal Bhurtel | Nepal | China | 2026 |
Bhurtel moved from 57 off 25 to 93 off 31 in that over, and took four more balls to complete his second century in the format. At 35 balls, it was the joint-seventh fastest in men's T20Is, and the second-fastest for Nepal. Bhurtel's batting partner Kushal Malla holds the national record for his 34-ball century against Mongolia in 2023. He was eventually dismissed for 129 off 43 balls – the second-highest individual score for Nepal in men's T20Is – striking at exactly 300.
Nepal breach 300 for the second time
Rohit Paudel replaced him, and scored even quicker. He was on 41 off 15 at the start of the final over of the innings and after a boundary and a wide, slammed four sixes in a row to record a 17-ball fifty, Nepal's second-fastest after Airee's nine-ball world-record effort against Mongolia in 2023.
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At the end of the innings, he was not out on 69 off 21, and Malla was 85 not out off 47 balls. The last-over blitz took Nepal to 313-2, the second time they have scored over 300 in T20Is, another record. Only three other teams have even done it once in men's cricket, Zimbabwe's 344-4 being the world record.
Highest totals in men's T20Is
| Score | For | Against | Year |
| 344-4 | Zimbabwe | Gambia | 2024 |
| 314-3 | Nepal | Mongolia | 2023 |
| 313-2 | Nepal | China | 2026 |
| 308-1 | Germany | Austria | 2026 |
| 304-2 | England | South Africa | 2025 |
Nepal dominated the rest of the game as well, bowling China out for 92 to register a crushing 221-run win. Once again, it is their second win by over 200 runs in men's T20Is, the only team to do so multiple times. Malla also returned figures of 3-0 in 1.2 overs, notable for being the joint-most wickets taken in a spell in the format, while conceding no runs.
Biggest wins in men's T20Is
Margin | For | Against | Year |
| 290 runs | Zimbabwe | Gambia | 2024 |
| 273 runs | Nepal | Mongolia | 2023 |
| 271 runs | Rwanda | Ivory Coast | 2026 |
| 264 runs | Nigeria | Ivory Coast | 2024 |
| 257 runs | Czech Republic | Turkey | 2019 |
| 231 runs | Botswana | Ivory Coast | 2026 |
| 221 runs | Nepal | China | 2026 |
| 215 runs | Spain | Croatia | 2025 |
| 208 runs | Canada | Panama | 2021 |
| 205 runs | Japan | Mongolia | 2024 |
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