Cricket has produced very few chases as freakishly quick as the one Nepal pulled off against the United States in 2020, a One Day International that was over inside just 104 balls.
United States collapse for 35 in Kirtipur
Played at Kirtipur, the match saw the United States sent in to bat first, only for their innings to fall apart against Nepal's bowling attack. Sandeep Lamichhane and Sushant Bhari tore through the batting order, restricting the USA to just 35 runs before they were bowled out inside 12 overs. Lamichhane alone claimed 6 wickets, while Bhari picked up 4. Opener Javier Marshall was the only USA batter to reach double figures, top-scoring with 16 runs, as the rest of the line-up managed just 19 runs between them.
Nepal chase down 36 in 5.2 overs
Even a target of just 36 runs did not come easily for Nepal at first, as both of their openers were dismissed with the score on 2. For a brief moment it looked like the USA bowlers might claw their way back into the contest, but Paras Khadka and Dipendra Singh Airee made sure there was no further slip-up. The pair added the remaining runs without losing another wicket, wrapping up the chase in just 5.2 overs, or 32 balls in total. Nepal won the match by 8 wickets, with as many as 268 balls left unused.
An ODI faster than most T20s
Cricket is currently played in three formats, Test, ODI and T20. A Test match runs across five days, with a minimum of 90 overs required each day, while an ODI is a 50-over-a-side contest and a T20 lasts just 20 overs a side. Among fans today, T20 remains the most popular format because it packs the most excitement into the shortest time, a shift that has steadily eaten into the popularity of both Test and ODI cricket. The Nepal versus USA game, though, turned that logic on its head. Between both innings, the two teams combined for only 104 deliveries, fewer balls than are typically bowled in a single T20 innings alone. That is exactly why this ODI is still remembered as one of the shortest run chases the format has ever seen.
