Opener and keeper Aasif Sheikh announced himself with an unbeaten 54 on T20I debut in a Nepal win against Netherlands in 2021, before quickly adapting to the 50-over format with a fluent 90 against Oman in his fourth ODI, five months later.
His first ODI century came against Papua New Guinea in 2023, a year in which he finished as Nepal's leading ODI run-scorer, with 595 runs and six scores of 50-plus, and earned the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award after refusing to run-out Ireland's Andy McBrine following an accidental collision. This streak also included a half-century against India in the Asia Cup.
Sheikh played the 2024 and 2026 T20 World Cups, notably top-scoring for his side in a heartbreaking one-run loss to South Africa in Kingstown in the first of those tournaments. Sheikh hit two fours and a six off Kagiso Rabada, and if not for his dismissal in the 18th over, Nepal might have put one over their opponents.
His reputation continued to grow with a match-winning unbeaten 68 against West Indies in Sharjah in 2025, an innings that helped Nepal complete a historic T20I series victory. A former Under-19 captain and younger brother of international cricketer Aarif Sheikh, Aasif is one of Nepal's most dependable batters.
