Cricket
Airee smashes six maximums in single over as Nepal post 211-run target for Qatar
The right-handed batter becomes first Nepali batter to achieve the rare feat while putting up an unbeaten half-century in 21 deliveries.Post Report
Nepal posted a 211-run target against Qatar in their second match of the ongoing 2024 ACC Men’s Premier Cup at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Al Amerat, Oman on Saturday.
Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, the Rhinos accumulated a total of 210 runs in the stipulated 20 overs as Dipendra Singh Airee smashed six consecutive maximums in a single over to score an unbeaten half-century.
Nepal were off to a slow start losing opener Kushal Bhurtel for a cheap 11-ball 12 after Qatar’s Amar Farooq had him caught by Kamran Khan in 2.5 overs.
Captain Rohit Paudel was next to go, being caught by Muhammad Tanveer off Himanshu Rathod. Paudel faced 17 deliveries and contributed 18 runs.
Another opener and wicketkeeper Asif Sheikh and Kushal Malla brought a 53-run partnership before Malla was dismissed in 13.5 overs. He smashed two hits to the fences and three maximums, scoring 35 runs in his 18 knock play.
Sheikh cracked a half-century to contribute 52 off 41 balls before being caught by Muhammad Tanveer off Himanshu Rathod in 14.2 overs.
Airee demonstrated a remarkable batting show as he put unbeaten 64 runs on the scoreboard. The half-century featured three hits to the fences and seven maximums, of which six were fired in just the final over of the innings.
In doing so, Airee became the first Nepali player to ever achieve the rare feat.
Earlier on September 27, 2023 he smashed six consecutive sixes. But it was in two overs.
On the same day, the right-handed batter had achieved the feat in a match against Mongolia as he cracked the fastest T20I fifty in just nine balls to go past India’s legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh’s record of a 12-ball fifty against England during the ICC T20 World Cup 2007.
On Saturday, Sundeep Jora (7), Gulshan Jha (5), and Bibek Yadav (5) also took to the pitch for the Rhinos.
For Qatar, Himanshu Rathod and Musawar Shah claimed three Nepali scalps each while Amar Farooq also grabbed a wicket.
Nepal began their 2025 Asia Cup campaign with a hard-fought five-wicket victory over Malaysia in their opening match of the series at the Al Amerat Cricket Ground in Al Amerat, Oman on Friday.
Chasing 144, the defending champions Nepal achieved the target in 19.2 overs losing five wickets, but had to survive some scare from the Malaysians late in the innings.