アフガニスタン — ネパール の予想

A development side taking on an established full-strength line-up is always a tricky read. It becomes harder when the pitch offers substantial turn. Afghanistan's young group got the job done against Japan, but Nepal's experienced core presents a vastly different challenge.

Afghanistan's new generation

This is the AfghanAbdalyan squad, missing the familiar faces of Rashid Khan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Darwish Rasooli leads a young side, leaning heavily on the experience of Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran. Mohammad Akram and Ismat Alam earned their spots after solid domestic campaigns (acb.af).

The top order found the moving ball difficult against Japan. Hassan Eisakhil struggled early, leaving Akram to steady the ship before the late order salvaged a respectable total. It was their bowling that impressed. Abdullah Ahmadzai challenged the openers before Arab Gul Momand and Nangeyalia Kharoti spun a web through the middle overs.

Expected XI: Mohammad Akram, Hassan Eisakhil, Karim Janat, Darwish Rasooli (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Ismat Alam, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Arab Gul Momand.

Nepal's familiar faces

Nepal arrived here after claiming a 50-over Premier Cup title. Dipendra Singh Airee captains a squad that welcomes back Sompal Kami and Kushal Bhurtel. Rohit Paudel is available, having avoided a playing suspension following his recent sanction (go.cricnepal.com).

The 50-over success is a decent confidence booster, but their semi-final highlighted a batting vulnerability that Airee had to rescue. The final showcased their resilience, with Aasif Sheikh anchoring the innings. Captain Airee will need his top order to survive Ahmadzai's opening spell and not rely entirely on their elite spin to bail them out.

Projected XI: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee (c), Gulshan Jha, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi.

Conditions in Nisshin

The Korogi Sports Park pitch offered early movement, low bounce and substantial turn on the first day. The boundary sizes remain somewhat unconfirmed, but a slow outfield is likely if the afternoon showers materialise (easeweather.com). Chasing a score under lights is unlikely, given the afternoon schedule.

The match-up

The market has priced this on reputation, favouring the Afghanistan brand. However, this is their 'A' side facing a battle-hardened Nepal team boasting Lamichhane and Rajbanshi on a gripping surface.

Afghanistan's batting struggled against Japan's seamers and will find Nepal's elite associate spinners even tougher to dispatch. The risk of rain reducing the overs adds further weight to a lower total.

Afghanistan against Nepal sounds like a proper heavyweight bout, but read the team-sheets before the reputations. This is an Afghan development side against Nepal's familiar senior core, on a Nisshin surface that already misbehaved on the opening day. The line has pencilled in a comfortable evening's hitting, and the evidence says otherwise.

Afghanistan: a young batting order, grown-up bowling

Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi are nowhere near this squad. Darwish Rasooli captains a largely young AfghanAbdalyan selection (acb.af), with Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran as the old heads.

Against Japan the batting never looked settled against the moving, gripping ball. Hassan Eisakhil struggled at the top, Mohammad Akram steadied the innings, and it took Rasooli and Mohammad Ishaq to haul the back end into respectability.

The bowling was a different story. Abdullah Ahmadzai troubled the openers, then Arab Gul Momand and Nangeyalia Kharoti squeezed the life out of Japan's chase. The expected XI is unchanged: Akram, Eisakhil, Janat, Rasooli, Zadran, Ishaq (wk), Ismat Alam, Ahmadzai, Faridoon Dawoodzai, Kharoti and Arab Gul.

Nepal: senior core, borrowed momentum

Nepal start their campaign under Dipendra Singh Airee, fresh from the Premier Cup title. It is good for morale, but that was 50-over cricket, and ODI form carries over to T20 about as tidily as a tea-rota drawn up in pencil. In that final Aasif Sheikh built the innings, Gulshan Jha provided the late acceleration and Karan KC kept a stubborn chase in check.

Kushal Bhurtel and Sompal Kami return. Rohit Paudel's sanction after the final was a fine rather than a ban (go.cricnepal.com), so he is available. The projected side runs Bhurtel, Aasif (wk), Paudel, Airee, Gulshan, Kushal Malla, Sundeep Jora, Karan, Sompal, Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi, which makes it spin-heavy by design.

Korogi: turn, low bounce and a grey sky

Across seven T20s here since the start of 2025, first innings have run at 6.45 an over and second innings at just 4.15. Twenty overs at that first rate gives roughly 129. That is a long way short of the 145 a side this line quietly assumes.

The opener offered new-ball movement, substantial turn and occasional low bounce. Showers are possible during the afternoon, and in a day game there is no dew to bail out the side batting second.

Why 290 looks a long way off

This is a spin-on-spin contest. Arab Gul and Kharoti at one end and Lamichhane, Rajbanshi and Airee at the other promise middle overs squeezed from both sides. Whoever bats first, the chase caps the total, because a successful pursuit only adds a handful of runs past the target.

The rain is a one-way lever. A reduced-overs match or a wet ball that the bowlers cannot grip both drag the aggregate down, never up.