Nepal has entered the men’s cricket quarter-finals at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, after defeating Maldives by 138 runs.
With the win, Nepal finished top of Group A with four points from two matches, while Maldives were eliminated after their first defeat.
Nepal batted first and set a target of 213 runs for Maldives. Captain Rohit Kumar Paudel top-scored for Nepal with 52 runs, while Kushal Malla scored an unbeaten 47. Gulshan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel also chipped in with valuable contributions of 35 and 13 runs, respectively.
Nazwan Ismail took three wickets for the Maldives, while Mohammad Rayan Tholal, Ismail Ali, Mohammad Maivan and Nile Ismail Nasir took one wicket each.

In reply, Maldives were bowled out for 74 runs in 19.4 overs. Muawiyat Abdul Ghani top-scored for Maldives with 36 runs, while Rasam Rashid scored an unbeaten 12.
Avinash Bohra was the show’s star for Nepal, with six wickets for 11 runs in 3.4 overs. Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Malla, Gulsan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel also took one wicket each.
Nepal’s win over Maldives is their second at the Asian Games. They had defeated Mongolia by 273 runs in a match full of records.