Dipendra Airee’s 9-ball fifty and Malla’s 34-ball ton propel Nepal to historic 314 total in Asian Games

In a historic feat at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Nepal’s batsman, Dipendra Singh Airee, etched his name in the annals of cricket history. He blazed his way to a 50 in just 9 balls during the opening match of the men’s cricket event against Mongolia, shattering Yuvraj Singh’s long-standing record for the fastest T20I half-century, which Yuvraj had achieved during the 2007 World Cup against England in 12 balls.

Aire finished with an unbeaten score of 52 off just 10 balls, with a staggering 48 runs coming from sixes.

Nepal posted a whopping 314/3 in their allotted 20 overs, making them the first team ever to breach the 300-run mark in the shortest format of the game.

But the record-breaking spree did not stop there. Kushal Malla had something even more remarkable in store as he eclipsed the records of India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, and South Africa’s star batsman, David Miller.

Malla achieved the distinction of scoring the fastest T20I century, reaching the three-figure mark in just 34 deliveries. To put this into perspective, both Rohit Sharma and David Miller had taken 35 balls to achieve the same milestone. Malla’s breathtaking innings featured 8 fours and an astonishing 12 sixes, and he remained unbeaten with a staggering 137 runs off just 50 deliveries.