Nepal had an evening to remember as they secured their maiden victory against a Test playing nation. Nepal looked determined and played better than West Indies to secure a 19-run win and take a 1-0 lead in this short 3-match series. Put into bat first, Nepal made a competitive 148/8 in Sharjah with captain Rohit Paudel leading the way with 38 and the others chipping in around him to get to that mark. Jason Holder was the standout bowler for West Indies with 4 wickets while Navin Bidaisee picked up 3 wickets.
In the defence of the target, Nepal put in a spirited bowling display led by Kushal Bhurtel to restrict West Indies to 129/9 in 20 overs as none of the West Indies batters got going. It was a night to remember for Nepal and equally a night to forget for Akeal Hosein and his men after they won the toss and decided to chase on a difficult track.
Rohit Paudel & Kusal Malla helps Nepal get to a competitive 148/8.Â
Put into bat first, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh came out to bat for Nepal while captain Akeal Hosein had ball in hand for West Indies. Hosein started with a miserly over. Jason Holder got the ball from the other end. Bhurtel got the first boundary of the innings away through the backward point region. Hosein continued and got rid of Bhurtel for 6 off 11 balls with a boundary to his name.
Hosein bowled a short of a length arm ball outside off-stump. Bhurtel stepped down the track to cut the ball but missed it completely as Amir Jangoo made no mistake behind the stumps. Rohit Paudel came out to bat next and got off the mark with a brace. Holder struck next getting rid of Shaikh for 3 off 4 balls. He bowled a full length delivery on the off-stump line. Sheikh made no room and stepped outside the crease. He launched a big hit connecting off the bottom half of the bat. But the ball went high but not long. Carty back pedalled from mid-on and got down on his back and held onto the ball. Kushal Malla came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Malla managed to hit Holder for a boundary through the deep midwicket region. Hosein continued inside the powerplay. Paudel survived a scare as he survived a stumping chance. Ramon Simmonds came to bowl in the final over of powerplay. Paudel took the attack to the newcomer by hitting him for back-to-back boundaries through fine leg region and vacant backward square leg fence. At the end of 6 overs of powerplay, Nepal were in a spot of bother at 34/2.
Fabian Allen came into the attack post the powerplay. Malla thrashed Allen down the ground over the bowler’s head for a boundary. Obed McCoy was introduced into the attack next. He too bowled a decent first over. Allen continued as Malla finally broke the shackles by getting down on one knee and cleared wide long-on for the maximum. McCoy continued to bowl the 10th over as Malla launched him down the ground for the maximum over the bowler’s head and into the sightscreen. After 10 overs, Nepal were 68/2 at the halfway stage of the innings as players took Drinks Break.
Navin Bidaisee on debut came into the attack after the break. The debutant struck for the West Indies and got rid of Malla for 30 off 21 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. He bowled a fuller than length ball at fourth stump. Malla wanted to go down the ground and failed to get the desired connection. Jason Holder at long-on ran in from the boundary and slid forward to take the catch. Gulshan Jha came to the crease next and got off the mark straightaway.
Ramon Simmonds came back into the attack. Paudel took him on and launched him over square leg for the maximum. Paudel was in his zone now as he swiped across the line to send the ball to the fine leg fence. Bidaisee came back hard and got rid of Paudel for 38 off 35 balls with 3 fours and a maximum to his name. Fuller than good length at the stumps, Paudel hit it towards deep midwicket region where Auguste settled underneath it and took the catch easily. Dipendra Singh Airee came out to bat next. He survived a close stumping appeal against him.
Akeal Hosein returned to the attack as Jha smoked him over long-on for the maximum. Airee survived a close caught behind appeal as the umpire was unmoved. The 100 came up for Nepal in 14.3 overs. Airee swept Bidaisee over backward square leg for the maximum. After 15 overs, Nepal were 108/4 and looked good to get close to 160 at this stage.
Jason Holder returned to the bowling crease. He bowled a tidy over. Bidaisee continued as Jha broke the shackles by clearing his front leg and deposited the ball over the straight boundary for the maximum. The bowler had his payback as Bidaisee got rid of Jha for 22 off 16 balls with 2 sixes to his name. He bowled a fuller side of good length sliding across towards outside off-stump. Jha once again opened his shoulders and slammed it towards long-off where Carty moved a step or two to his right before getting his hands on the ball and after juggles caught it on the fourth attempt. Sundeep Jora came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
McCoy returned to the attack. Jora took him on and launched him over deep midwicket and cleared the fielder for the maximum. Holder came to bowl his final over. He got rid of Airee for 17 off 19 balls with a maximum to his name. Jason bowled a back of a length delivery that angled in towards the fourth stump line cramping Airee for room. The batter slashed hard and ended up holing out to extra cover diving forward. Sompal Kami came out to bat next and got off the mark straight away. Holder then got rid of Jora for 9 off 6 balls with a maximum to his name.
Jason bowled a full toss delivered at the leg stump from around the wicket. Jora swished across and Gore at deep backward square leg ran to his right before diving full length to take it inches from the ground. Karan KC came out to bat next and fell first ball as Holder had 2 in 2 balls to end his spell. Jason bowled a back of a length ball from over the wicket. KC swiped across and caught it high on the bat and the ball ended up being a much easier catch for Kyle Mayers at short fine leg. Nandan Yadav walked out to bat next as Holder completed his excellent spell.
Obed McCoy was tasked to bowl the final over of the innings. Yadav slammed the bowler by coming down the track and converted the ball into a full ball before tonking it over long-off for the maximum. Kami was dropped off the final ball of the innings by Jewel Andrew as the batters got a couple of runs as Nepal ended with 148/8 in 20 overs with Kami on 6* off 5 balls and Nandan Yadav on 7* off 2 balls with a maximum to his name. 10 extras and all of them wides given by West Indies.
Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies with figures of 4/20 in 4 overs. Navin Bidaisee on debut picked up 3/29 in 4 overs. Captain Akeal Hosein chipped in with 1/18 in 4 overs. Ramon Simmonds gave away 25 runs in 2 overs while Fabian Allen gave away 19 runs in 2 overs. Obed McCoy conceded 37 runs in his 4 overs. This meant that West Indies needed 149 runs to win and take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
All-round bowling performance led by Kushal Bhurtel helped Nepal create history.Â
Chasing 149 for the win, Kyle Mayers and Amir Jangoo walked out to bat for West Indies while Dipendra Singh Airee had ball in hand for Nepal. Mayers started off well and made his intentions clear by slashing a boundary towards front of square in the off-side. Karan KC had ball in hand from the other end. The first wicket fell via a run out as Mayers was short of his ground after scoring 5 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name as Bhurtel hit the bulls eye at the stumps. Ackeem Auguste came out to bat at 3 and got off the mark straightaway.
Airee continued even as Auguste broke the shackles by picking it up and depositing over long-on for the maximum. Jangoo then lofted KC over mid-on for a boundary. Auguste got into the act as he flicked it uppishly with a straight bat over midwicket region for the maximum. Nandan Yadav came into the attack next. Auguste got a reprieve as Rohit Paudel dropped a sitter at mid-off which made the bowler angry. Yadav in the end got rid of Auguste for 15 off 7 balls with 2 sixes to his name.
Nandan bowled a fuller length outside off-stump. Auguste went for a lofted drive towards extra covers but ended up slicing it and found Airee at the edge of the circle who did not make any mistake in taking the catch. Jewel Andrew came out to bat next. Sompal Kami was introduced into the attack to bowl the final over of powerplay. Jangoo broke the shackles and whipped it off the pads towards long leg region for a boundary. At the end of the powerplay of 6 overs, West Indies were 40/2.
Lalit Rajbanshi came into the attack post the powerplay. He bowled a decent first over. Captain Rohit Paudel brought himself into the attack. The skipper struck getting rid of Jewel Andrew for 5 off 11 balls. Paudel bowled a length delivery outside the off-stump line. Andrew was deep in his crease and lost his shape trying to whack it out of the park. He hit it high down the ground as Jora at long-on moved to his left and settled underneath it to complete the comfortable catch just inside the ropes. Keacy Carty came out to bat next and he got off the mark with boundary by leaning into the gap through extra cover.
Lalit continued and got rid of Jangoo for 19 off 22 balls with 2 fours to his name. He bowled a length delivery pitching outside the leg stump line. Jangoo was down on one knee and looked to slog it into the leg side. He got a top edge that skied high behind square. Deep fine leg settled underneath it and took a breath-taking catch. Navin Bidaisee on debut walked out to bat next.
Paudel continued and bowled a brilliant over of just 3 runs as West Indies at the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase were in a spot of bother at 56/4 and now needed 93 more runs to win off the back 60 balls. Kushal Bhurtel came into the attack after the break. Bhurtel too bowled a tidy over. Paudel continued as Carty broke the shackles by launching the bowler over long-on for the maximum.
Bhurtel continued as Keacy Carty got run out for 16 off 15 balls with one four and one six to his name as Airee did well at extra cover and gave the throw to the keeper who whipped off the bails as West Indies sunk further in the chase. Jason Holder came out to bat next. Kami returned to the attack and bowled a decent over.
Bhurtel got his man as he dismissed Holder for 5 off 7 balls. Bhurtel bowled a good length delivery at the fourth stump. The batter heaved it away and picked out the fielder Paudel with precision at deep midwicket with precision. Fabian Allen came to the crease next and got off the mark as well. At the end of 15 overs, West Indies were reeling at 79/6 and needed an improbable 70 runs off the last 30 balls.
Kami came to bowl his final over. Bidaisee broke the shackles as he launched the pull shot over square leg for the maximum. Bidaisee hit the full ball on the pads to the short fine leg region for a boundary. Bhurtel came back to bowl the 17th over. Bhurtel got rid of Bidaisee for 22 off 25 balls with one four and one six to his name thanks to Hit Wicket. The batter has stepped onto the stumps as the bails are dislodged. Captain Akeal Hosein came out to bat next. Hosein broke the shackles and launched Bhurtel down the ground over deep midwicket for the maximum as the 100 came up for West Indies in 17 overs.
Kami bowled a front foot no ball and the free hit to that was hit away by Allen over midwicket region for a boundary. Hosein got into the act as he hit Kami towards the third man fence. The captain was not willing to go down without a fight as he launched Kami over deep midwicket fielder for the maximum as Bhurtel couldn’t quite time his jump to perfection. Karan KC came to bowl the 19th over and he got rid of Hosein for 18 off 9 balls with 1 four and 2 sixes to his name.
Karan bowled a good length ball pitched outside the off-stump. Hosein on the front foot tried to clear the boundary down the ground and muscled it hard but didn’t get enough distance. He picked up Gulshan Jha at long-on. Obed McCoy came out to bat next. Airee came to bowl the final over as Allen hit him down the ground straight as an arrow for a boundary. Allen hit another boundary this time over extra cover but these hits were now too little too late for West Indies. Allen then was the last man to be dismissed for 19 off 14 balls with 3 fours to his name.
Airee bowled a full length ball on the off-stump line. Allen launched it straight down the ground as the man at long-off Bhurtel took the catch and lost control of the ball and lobbed it up in the air. He went past the fence and then came back in time to take the catch. TV umpire checked and confirmed it was OUT. McCoy remained unbeaten on 0 off 3 balls as West Indies crawled their way to 129/9 in 20 overs losing the game by 19 runs. 5 extras given by the fielding side.
All the bowlers bowled well for Nepal. Kushal Bhurtel was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/17 in 4 overs. Rohit Paudel chipped in with 1/20 in 3 overs. Lalit Rajbanshi finished with 1/6 in 2 overs. Nandan Yadav got 1/6 in 1 over. Karan KC bowled well for his 1/17 in 3 overs. Dipendra Singh Airee chipped in with 1/20 in 3 overs. Sompal Kami went for runs as he gave away 43 runs in 4 overs. So, Nepal win by 19 runs and for his all-round performance and inspirational leadership, Rohit Paudel was awarded Player of the Match as Nepal went 1-0 in the 3-match series.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, Nepal have a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. The next game will be at the same venue in Sharjah on Monday 29th September 2025 at 8 PM IST. Nepal would love to clinch the series here while the West Indies will be determined to bounce back and level the series at 1-1.
Which way is it going to go on Monday night? Only time will tell.
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