Nepal Achieve Landmark Victory, Stun West Indies in T20I Series Opener

Nepal scripted history with their first-ever victory over an ICC full-member nation during the first T20I against West Indies on Saturday, September 27 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. The Nepalese crowd at the stadium was delirious in celebration of their thrilling 19-run victory, having achieved a major milestone in their cricketing history.

After being put in to bat first, Nepal posted a good score of 148/8 in their allotted 20 overs, riding on a splendid knock from captain Rohit Paudel (38 off 35). In reply, West Indies were restricted to 129/9 as Kushal Bhurtel (2/17) scalped two crucial wickets to set up a historic win for his side.

Earlier, Nepal got off to a horrendous start, losing both openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh within the first 19 balls to be left reeling at 12/2. After the two quick blows, Kushal Malla (30 off 21) joined his captain Paudel in the middle and the duo added 58 runs for the third wicket off 45 balls.

With the game running away from his team, wrist spinner Navin Bidaisee brought his team back into the match, dismissing Malla and Paudel in back-to-back overs. Further contributions from Gulsan Jha (22 off 16), Dipendra Singh (17 off 19), Sundeep Jora (9 off 6) and Sompal Kami (6* off 5) helped their team cross the 14-run mark.

For the West Indies, Jason Holder (4/20) and Navin Bidaisee (3/29) were instrumental in providing regular breakthroughs throughout the innings. In reply, West Indies’ chase got off to the worst possible start as the dangerous Kyle Mayers (5 off 8) was run out by Kushal Bhurtel. Their chase could never get going as Amir Jangoo (19 off 22), Ackeem Auguste (15 off 7), Keacy Carty (16 off 15), and Navin Bidaisee (22 off 25) couldn’t score big.

Despite some lower-order efforts from Fabian Allen (19 off 14) and captain Akeal Hosein (18 off 9), West Indies couldn’t get over the line, handing Nepal a historic 19-run victory. As a result, Nepal took 1-0 lead in the three-match series with the second T20I set to be played on September 29.