Nepal stuns West Indies with historic T20I victory

KATHMANDU: Nepal registered a historic win over the West Indies in the first T20I on Saturday, securing a 19-run triumph.

Chasing Nepal’s target of 149, the West Indies were restricted to 129 for 9 in their 20 overs. Navin Viyacy top-scored with 22 runs, while Ameer Jango and Keacy Carty added 19 runs each.

For Nepal, Kushal Bhurtel was outstanding with the ball, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs in his 4 overs.

Captain Rohit Paudel, Karan KC, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Nandan Yadav chipped in with one wicket apiece.

Earlier, after being put in to bat, Nepal posted 148 for 8 in 20 overs. Skipper Rohit Paudel led from the front with a gritty 38 off 35 balls, including 3 fours and a six.

Kushal Malla added a quick 30 off 21 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes, while Gulshan Jha (22) and Dipendra Singh Airee (17) made useful contributions.

Despite losing two early wickets for just 12 runs, Paudel and Malla’s 58-run stand for the third wicket stabilized the innings.

However, Nepal fell short of a bigger total due to a lack of strong finishing.

Jason Holder starred for the West Indies with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 20 runs in his 4 overs.

Debutant Navin Viyacy impressed with 3 wickets for 29 runs, while skipper Akeal Hosein claimed one wicket.

This win marks Nepal’s first-ever victory against a full ICC member nation.

Having previously played major tournaments against teams like India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, Nepal finally achieved a breakthrough by defeating the two-time T20 World Cup champions, West Indies.