Nepal sets a target of 134 for West Indies (photos)
Dipendra struck 3 fours and 2 sixes before being caught in the final over. Karan KC scored 1 run and was dismissed on the last ball.
KATHMANDU: Nepal posted a total of 133/8 in their 20 overs against West Indies in the T20 World Cup on Sunday at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
West Indies captain Shai Hope, after winning the toss, chose to field first, giving Nepal the opportunity to bat.
Dipendra Singh Airey was the standout for Nepal, scoring 58 runs—the second-ever T20 World Cup half-century for the team, following Sushant Khakurel’s fifty against Afghanistan in the 2014 edition.
Nepal lost an early wicket in the first over, with Akil Hossain bowling out Kushal Bhurtel on the fifth ball.
Captain Rohit Paudel managed just 5 runs off 7 balls before being dismissed LBW by Matthew Ford.
Jason Holder then struck twice, sending back Asif Sheikh and Arif Sheikh cheaply.
Nepal struggled in the powerplay, scoring just 22 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in six overs.
Lokesh Bam contributed 13 runs before falling to Summer Joseph.
However, partnerships stabilized the innings, with Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulshan Jha adding 27 runs for the sixth wicket, and Airey teaming up with Sompal Kami for a 54-run seventh-wicket stand—Nepal’s largest partnership of the innings.
Sompal remained unbeaten on 26 off 15 balls, hitting 4 boundaries, while Dipendra struck 3 fours and 2 sixes before being caught in the final over. Karan KC scored 1 run and was dismissed on the last ball.
Bowling for West Indies, Jason Holder led with 4 wickets for 27 runs in 4 overs. Matthew Ford took 1 wicket for just 10 runs, while Akil Hossain, Summer Joseph, and Royston Chase claimed a wicket each.
Nepal introduced medium-pacer all-rounder Sompal Kami in place of left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi. Making his third T20 World Cup appearance, Kami is now the first Nepali player to play in three World Cups, having also appeared in 2014 and 2016.
Earlier, Nepal defeated West Indies 2-1 in a historic three-match T20I series in Sharjah, UAE, in September, though only Hossain and Holder feature in the current Caribbean lineup.
In Group C, Nepal sits at the bottom, having lost to England by 4 runs and Italy by 10 wickets in their first two games.
West Indies, on the other hand, top the group after victories over Scotland (35 runs) and England (30 runs).
A win for West Indies would secure their place in the Super 8 stage, while Nepal’s progression remains a mathematical possibility only.
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