Third straight defeat ends Nepal’s Super 8 hopes (photos)
With three straight defeats, Nepal’s hopes of advancing to the Super Eight stage have officially come to an end.
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup came to a disappointing end after suffering their third consecutive defeat, this time against West Indies by nine wickets at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Chasing a modest target of 134, West Indies reached the total comfortably in just 15.2 overs, securing their third straight win in Group C and confirming qualification for the Super Eight stage.
With this loss, Nepal were officially eliminated from the tournament.
West Indies Dominate the Chase
Openers Brandon King and captain Shai Hope gave West Indies a steady start, putting on 43 runs for the first wicket inside six overs.
King was dismissed for 22, caught by Kushal Bhurtel off Nandan Yadav’s bowling.
Hope then built a match-winning partnership with Shimron Hetmyer.
The pair added 91 runs for the second wicket in 59 balls, effectively sealing the contest.
Hope remained unbeaten on 61 off 44 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, while Hetmyer scored an unbeaten 46 from 32 deliveries, including four boundaries and two sixes.
Nepal’s Batting Struggles Continue
Earlier, after losing the toss and being sent in to bat, Nepal managed 133 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
The innings was rescued by Dipendra Singh Airee, who struck a brilliant 58, the highest individual score by a Nepali batter in T20 World Cup history and only Nepal’s second-ever half-century at the tournament.
Nepal suffered early setbacks, losing their first wicket in the opening over when Kushal Bhurtel was bowled by Akeal Hosein.
Captain Rohit Paudel was dismissed for 5, while Jason Holder removed Aasif Sheikh and Aarif Sheikh in quick succession, leaving Nepal reeling at 22 for 3 after six overs.
Despite brief contributions from Lokesh Bam (13) and Gulshan Jha, Nepal struggled to build momentum.
The key partnership came for the seventh wicket between Airee and Sompal Kami, who added 54 runs in 26 balls — Nepal’s highest stand of the innings. Sompal finished unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls, striking four boundaries.
West Indies Bowlers in Control
Jason Holder starred with the ball for West Indies, claiming 4 for 27 from his four overs.
Matthew Forde was impressive as well, conceding just 10 runs and taking one wicket, including a maiden over. Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, and Roston Chase picked up one wicket each.
End of the Road for Nepal
This defeat marked Nepal’s third loss in as many matches in Group C, following earlier defeats to England and Italy.
As a result, Nepal’s hopes of reaching the Super Eight stage were extinguished. Nepal will play their final group match against Scotland on Tuesday.
Sompal Kami, featuring in his third T20 World Cup, became the first Nepali cricketer to represent the country in three World Cup editions, having also played in 2014 and 2016.
Notably, Nepal had defeated West Indies 2–1 in a historic T20I series in Sharjah in September last year.
However, only Akeal Hosein and Jason Holder from that West Indies squad featured in this World Cup encounter, with West Indies fielding a largely revamped lineup this time around.
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