Nepal pulled off a landmark 19-run victory against West Indies in Sharjah, marking their first-ever win against a Full Member nation in international cricket. This achievement came in their first bilateral T20I series against the two-time world champions, making the moment even more significant.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒘𝒊𝒏 – 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆,” 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.
Nepal posted 148 for 8, with Rohit Paudel (38) and Kushal Malla (30) providing crucial contributions. Jason Holder struck late with 4 for 20, while debutant Navin Bidaisee impressed with 3 for 29, but dropped catches kept Nepal in the contest.
West Indies Falter in the Chase
Chasing 149, West Indies started well with Kyle Mayers hitting a boundary first ball, but wickets fell regularly as Nepal’s bowlers dominated. Kushal Bhurtel’s sharp run-out of Mayers set the tone, and spinners tightened the grip during the middle overs.
Dipendra Singh Airee’s brilliant fielding added to West Indies’ woes, while Holder’s dismissal for just 5 was the final blow. Despite late big hits from Bidaisee and Akeal Hosein, West Indies couldn’t keep up with the asking rate and finished at 129 for 9.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍, 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓,” 𝒂 𝑵𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉.
The win will be remembered as a milestone moment for Nepal cricket, showcasing their rise on the global stage.
