Nepal smash records with fastest century and fifty in men’s T20Is

Nepal became the first team to score 300 in a men’s T20 as records tumbled in their thrashing of Mongolia at the Asian Games in China.

Kushal Malla hit a 34-ball hundred, the fastest T20 international ton, and Dipendra Singh Airee the fastest fifty.

Airee made his half-century in nine balls and ended unbeaten on 52 from 10, while Malla scored 137 not out from 50.

The previous record for the fastest T20 international hundred was 35 balls, jointly held by South Africa’s David Miller, India’s Rohit Sharma, and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara.

Airee’s knock featured eight sixes and two twos, including sixes from his first five deliveries.

He ended with a strike-rate of 520 runs per hundred balls – the first time a batter has ended an innings of 10 balls or more with a strike-rate over 500.

Malla struck eight fours and 12 sixes after coming in at 42-1 in the fifth over.

There were 26 sixes in Nepal’s innings, giving them another record.

Afghanistan and West Indies jointly held the previous international record, while Balkh Legend hit 23 in the Afghanistan Premier League in 2018.

Mongolia became an International Cricket Council (ICC) associate member in 2021 but was competing in its first international match.

Nepal is 17th in the ICC rankings. (BBC)