Nepal trumps West Indies by 19 runs in first T20

KATHMANDU: Nepal defeated West Indies by 19 runs in the opening T20I in Sharjah on Saturday, registering its first-ever victory against a full member nation across formats.

The clash marked Nepal’s maiden T20I against West Indies and the beginning of its first bilateral series against a full member.

Batting first, Nepal overcame early setbacks to post 148 for the loss of eight wickets. Captain Rohit Paudel top-scored with 38, while Kushal Malla’s (30 off 21) aggressive strokeplay provided momentum after Nepal had lost both openers with just 12 runs on board. Gulsan Jha and Dipendra Singh Airee scored 22 and 17, respectively

Jason Holder claimed four wickets for West Indies, while Navin Bidaisee impressed for West Indies with 3 for 29 and Akeal Hosein had a wicket to his name.

In reply, West Indies faltered against Nepal’s disciplined spin attack. Bidaisee top-scored  with 22 runs, while Amir Jangoo and  Fabian Allen contributed 19 each. Captain Hosein (18), Keacy Carty (16) and Ackeem Auguste (15) all got start but failed to convert.

Kushal Bhurtel claimed two wickets for Nepal, while Paudel, Airee, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav and Lalit Rajbanshi chipped in with a wicket each.