Kathmandu, May 16 — Kushal Bhurtel was honored as the match’s top performer after scoring an unbeaten 120 runs from 118 balls, leading Nepal to a nine-wicket victory against the USA at the TU International Cricket Ground on Saturday. Ultimately, Bhurtel was presented with the award by Andrew Flintoff, one of England’s most accomplished all-rounders.
Flintoff, who represented England in 76 Test matches and 141 One-Day Internationals, was present at the Nepal versus USA match during the ICC CWC League-2 phase (2024-27) at the venue considered the home ground for Nepali cricket.
Flintoff was observed viewing the game from the VIP section alongside Minister of Education and Sports Sasmit Pokharel and Cricket Association of Nepal’s Secretary Paras Khadka, along with other individuals.
Following the conclusion of the game, the former English all-rounder spent a short time on the field speaking with the Nepali squad. Observing his hand signal, it appeared that Flintoff initiated the conversation by reminding them of how his team narrowly defeated Nepal at the 2026 T20 World Cup in Mumbai, India, in February.
Flintoff’s visit to TU Ground is seen as a significant boost for Nepali cricket. He arrived just a few days after Espncricinfo, the top cricket website, mentioned that England was considering a friendly series in Nepal as part of their 2027-2031 Future Tours Programme (FTP).
Although it is the most significant positive outcome for Nepal from Saturday’s game, it is not the sole one.
The victory against the USA provides significant relief for the Rhinos as they strive to secure as many wins as possible in their upcoming League-2 matches. Nepal is currently ranked seventh out of eight teams and hopes to finish among the top four by the conclusion of the cycle.
Moreover, the manner in which Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh batted for Nepal against the USA has boosted the Rhinos’ confidence in their batting lineup.
This was Bhurtel’s debut game against the US at the TU Ground on Saturday. He turned it into a highly unforgettable experience for both himself and the Rhino Army.
Following the enhancement with concrete stands and floodlights, TU Ground saw significant attendance during the second season of the Nepal Premier League (November 17 to December 13, 2025). Nevertheless, when Nepal’s international games were held at the venue, vacant seats were prevalent.
The match between Nepal and the USA on Saturday marked the 11th international game at TU Ground following the second NPL. Out of these, eight games featured Nepal.
But it wasn’t until Saturday that TU Ground resumed its usual atmosphere as thousands of supporters turned up for the League-2 match against the USA. They witnessed an outstanding performance from the Rhinos, both in bowling and batting.
It was wonderful to witness such a large audience after so many years,” Bhurtel mentioned during the post-game press conference. “The century was particularly meaningful.
He stated, “The attendance might also be due to it being a Saturday. However, I think today’s game will motivate supporters to attend our upcoming matches.”
Bhurtel returned to the team after sitting out three games. His previous match was against Oman in the League-2 game on April 29, where he scored 1 run off 3 balls.
I was performing well in the T20Is. I had a good showing against the UAE in the T20I series,” Bhurtel mentioned during the press conference. “However, I made a bad choice against Oman’s left-arm bowler and ended up losing my spot for three matches.
Bhurtel continued, “But I was confident about making a return. I kept improving my skills in the nets and through individual coaching. I had talked to Aasif, my roommate, about the fact that once we came back, the top batsmen needed to provide Nepal with a strong beginning.”
Aasif left the field at 58 from 72 deliveries in 26.3 overs, with the team’s score at 145. Ishan Pandey, making his debut for Nepal, partnered with Bhurtel to finish the target with 80 balls remaining. Pandey (20 from 30) hit the winning run in the 36.4th over.
Meanwhile, Bhurtel not only returned strongly on Saturday. He achieved his highest individual score in ODIs and became the third Nepali batsman—after Rohit Kumar Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee—to score two ODI centuries for Nepal.
I was in dire need of this century,” Bhurtel remarked. “I’ve been longing for it since I fell short of a century against Zimbabwe.
Bhurtel was dismissed for 99 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier match against Zimbabwe, held in Harare on June 18, 2023. This game saw Bhurtel and Sheikh achieve the highest first-wicket stand for Nepal, scoring a total of 171 runs together.
Both of his centuries were scored in Kirtipur, Bhurtel’s preferred location. His first century (115 from 109 balls) came against Namibia on February 14, 2023.
“Last time Kushal Bhurtel hit a century, Nepal secured victories in 11 out of their next 12 games in League 2,” remarked Troll Cricket Nepal, a social media platform known for sharing memes, jokes, and updates on Nepali cricket and more, following Bhurtel’s impressive performance against the USA.
Therefore, supporters now have higher hopes for the Rhinos to achieve another incredible recovery during this season’s League-2 cycle (2023-2026).
And the victory against the Americans, who are ranked second in the standings, serves as further motivation for Nepal as Stuart Law’s team continues to craft another unbelievable tale in Associate cricket.
Nepal secured its fourth victory in six League-2 games held at TU Ground since the tri-series involving UAE and Oman from April 25 to May 5. Out of the two defeats, one occurred against Oman on April 29, and the other was against Scotland four days ago.
It marked the Rhinos’ first victory against the USA in the current League-2 cycle (2024-2027). The USA had won their previous four matches against Nepal.
It was a favorable pitch to bat on,” remarked Saiteja Mukkamalla, who was leading the US team as their captain, Monank Patel, was absent from the match because of an injury. “We had the potential to reach 300. However, we didn’t succeed as wickets kept tumbling. The most encouraging aspect for us today was Smit Patel maintaining his strong performance.
Patel led the USA with an 83-run innings from 89 balls, accompanied by Shehan Jayasuriya who scored 50 off 52 deliveries, resulting in the team’s total of 195. Patel and Jayasuriya formed a 100-run stand for the second wicket.
Dipendra Singh Airee was the standout bowler for Nepal. He took four wickets in 7.3 overs. Sompal Kami took two, while Sandeep Lamichhane and Gulshan Kumar Jha each grabbed one.
Even with 195, we could have created a game out of it, but my spinners are having difficulty finding the correct pace on these pitches to turn the ball,” said Pubudu Dassanayake, head coach of the USA, following the defeat. “Nepal performed well because they are accustomed to these conditions.
Dassanayake, the previous head coach of Nepal, mentioned that the conditions in Nepal were challenging.
I have already informed my players about the conditions in Nepal. However, they are finding it challenging to adapt because the environment is quite difficult,” Dassanayake mentioned. “The conditions at TU Ground change throughout the day. Nepal is a place where things keep evolving over the course of 100 overs.
Dassanayake, on the other hand, stated that the team would not use the challenging circumstances as an excuse.
“We have three days of rest, so we’ll get ready for the upcoming match,” he added.
Regarded as one of the top coaches in Nepali cricket history, Dassanayake, who led Nepal to their first T20 World Cup appearance in 2014, also commended Bhurtel’s batting skills.
I am aware he missed several matches,” Dassanayake mentioned. “He [Bhurtel] is highly skilled, and he’s the top player Nepal has. It’s challenging to anticipate someone to perform consistently in every game, but when he starts playing well, he can turn the game around. Today is a clear example of that.
Nepal will take on Scotland, the leading team in the points table of League-2, on Monday.
