Few cricket fans would have heard the names of Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee before the start of the Hangzhou Asian Games men's cricket competition. Soon after the end of the first innings in the Nepal vs Mongolia Group A match on September 27, however, Malla and Airee's names were on the tip of cricket and quizzing enthusiasts' tongues. The duo hit record-breaking knocks to propel Nepal to an unprecedented 300-plus total in their 20 overs. Malla smashed a 50-ball 167 and got to his ton off just 34 balls, making it the fastest-ever century in men's T20 international (T20I) cricket. Airee then came in and walloped six sixes off his first six balls before getting to his half-century of just nine balls, making it the quickest fifty in T20I history. (Scorecard | Match Blog | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
A hapless Mongolia could do nothing to stop the onslaught, and then were bowled out for 41 in 13.1 overs to slump to a 273-run defeat, which is the biggest-ever margin of victory in men's T20I cricket by a side batting first.
After the high of that match, Nepal will next take the field on Sunday, October 1 against Maldives, who also defeated Mongolia comprehensively in their opening Group A match on Thursday. The Maldives men's cricket team restricted Mongolia to a paltry total of 60/9 in 20 overs, and got to the target with nine wickets and 80 balls to spare.
With Mongolia knocked out of the competition after two consecutive losses, Nepal and Maldives will now battle it out for the top spot in Group A, which guarantees qualification to the quarterfinals. The Nepal vs Maldives match on Sunday thus becomes a virtual knockout match and a must-win game for both sides. The victor will head straight to the last-eight stage, where continental heavyweights India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are already present by virtue of their higher ICC rankings.
Here are all the important details for the Nepal vs Maldives men's cricket Group A match to be played at the Asian Games 2023 on Sunday, October 1:
When will the Nepal vs Maldives men's cricket match be played at the Asian Games 2023?
The Nepal vs Maldives match will be played at 6:30am IST on September 30, 2023.
Where will the Nepal vs Maldives match be played at the Asian Games 2023?
The Nepal vs Maldives match will be played at the Zhejiang University Of Technology Pingfeng Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China.
Where can we watch the NEP vs MDV match on TV?
The match will be broadcast on the Sony Sports Network. Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 1 HD, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 3 HD, Sony Sports Ten 4, Sony Sports Ten 4 HD, Sony Sports Ten 5, and Sony Sports Ten 5 HD TV are the channels where you can catch all the action.
Where can we live stream the match?
The match will be live streamed on the SonyLiv app and website.
