Nepali men’s cricket team on Wednesday smashed several records at the Asian Games, as their match against Mongolia became a sliver of hope for Nepali athletes who have not been able to perform well since the games commenced.

Kushal Malla broke the record for the fastest men’s T20I century as Nepal beat Mongolia by 273 runs at the Asian Games in a match played at Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field in Hangzhou, China on Wednesday.

It took Malla just 34 deliveries to create a new world record smashing the earlier record of 35-ball century jointly by three cricketers including India’s Rohit Sharma, South Africa’s David Miller in 2017 and Czech Republic’s Sudesh Wickramasekara, who joined the other two for the same record in 2019.

Malla, who came in third in the fifth over after the dismissal of opener Aasif Sheikh in 4.5 overs, scored an unbeaten 137 runs in 50 balls with the help of 12 sixes and eight boundaries.

Put to bat first, Nepal scored a record 314 runs losing three wickets from their 20 overs against Mongolia at the Asian Games.

The total is 36 runs higher than the previous best in men’s T20I. In 2019, Afghanistan scored 278/3 against Ireland while the Czech Republic was the joint holder of the record with 278/4 against Turkey).

Likewise, Dipendra Singh Airee also registered a new record in the format as he scored the fastest half-century smashing the earlier record of India’s Yuvraj Singh.

Airee needed just nine deliveries to break the record. He scored 52 runs with the help of eight sixes. Singh had reached his half-century in just 12 balls against England in Durban in the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007.

Mongolia’s decision to bowl first turned fruitful in the first few overs as opener Aasif Sheikh was caught by Otgonbayar Enkh-Erdene off Erdenebulgan Luvsanzundui’s delivery in 4.5 overs. Sheikh contributed 16 runs.

Likewise, Sheikh’s opening partner Kushal Bhurtel, who was on 19 in 7.2 overs, was caught by Mungun Altankhuyag off Davaasuren Jamyansuren’s delivery.

But Malla and skipper Rohit Paudel’s 193-run partnership knock propelled Nepal to 259 runs until the end of the 18th over.

Paudel scored 61 runs off 27 deliveries before being caught by Otgonbayar off Altankhuyag’s delivery in 18.1 overs.

In response, Mongolia were bundled for 41 runs in 13.1 overs.

Karan KC, Abinash Bohara and Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets each for Nepal while Sompal Kami, Airee and Bhurtel bagged one wicket each.