Who is Kushal Bhurtel - 4 things to know about Nepal all-rounder who took 4 wickets vs South Africa in 2024 T20 World Cup
South Africa beat Nepal by a mere one run in a Group D clash in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingston, St. Vincent on Friday, June 14. The Proteas put up a mediocre total of 115-7 on the board owing to a brilliant bowling performance from Nepalese leggie Kushal Bhurtel (4-19) and Dipendra Singh (3-21).
In response, the Nepalese seemed to come close to chasing the target down and creating a major upset but were stopped short in their tracks by Ottniel Baartman bowling two dots off the last two deliveries.
Nepal needed two runs to win off the last two deliveries and were in the driver's seat to win this game and dent South Africa ahead of the Super Eight stage. However, they imploded spectacularly and lost to themselves at first.
Bhurtel, however, impressed all and sundry with his accurate lengths and was spoken about at length by pundits. Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen - two of the most dangerous batters in the world - counted among his victims in this game.
We take a look at four interesting facts about Bhurtel:
#1 He was a part of Nepal's Under-19 team
Bhurtel was a part of the Nepal Under-19 team for the 2016 ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup. He has been a promising cricketer on the radar of the national selectors for a while and has rewarded their faith in him with consistent performances at the national level as well.
Born in the Lumbini province of Nepal, Bhurtel was a talented youngster who translated the early genius he showed into good showings for the national team regularly.
His batting has not quite grabbed eyeballs in the T20 World Cup so far but his bowling has been spoken about quite often by pundits. He has played in 52 ODIs and 45 T20Is for his team.
#2 He has won the bronze medal in the South Asian Games with Nepal
One of the most interesting things about Bhurtel is that he was a part of the Nepal squad that participated in the 2019 South Asian Games.
The Nepalese team won the bronze medal in that tournament by beating the Maldives by five wickets in the third-place playoff match. Bhurtel was a key member of this side and played a big role in them winning the medal.
As mentioned earlier, he was also a part of the nation's Under-19 squad in 2016; before that, he made his List A debut for Nepal against India in the Emerging Teams Cup in November 2019.
#3 He has a few records and milestones under his belt
Bhurtel is among those rare cricketers who have quite a few records and milestones under their belt. This has, quite naturally, uplifted him to great esteem in his home country and given him a lot of recognition. Once known as a non-cricket playing country, Nepal have developed a lot over the last few years and produced cricketers such as Bhurtel
Among others, Bhurtel holds the record for the most outstanding bowling analysis in an inning of a T20 game for one wicket owing to the 1-0 he picked up against Mongolia. He also holds the milestone for the second-most catches in an innings in an ODI game (4) as well as the second-most catches in an entire series (19).
Bhurtel became a member of the 99 dismissal club when he got out on that number against Zimbabwe in an ODI.
#4 He has played club cricket in Australia
Another interesting fact about Bhurtel is that he has played club cricket in Australia. He was snapped up by Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club in December 2023 to represent them in the Victorian Premier Cricket - the elite club competition in Melbourne that is administered by Cricket Victoria.
Bhurtel must have gained a lot of experience playing in conditions completely alien to the ones he has known all his life and against players who would not have cared whether he had played international cricket.