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Nepal script first series win over ICC Full Member nation, West Indies register lowest-ever score against Associate team
Rohit Paudel-led Nepal register a historic T20I series win over West Indies.
Nepal, led by Rohit Paudel, scripted history on Monday as the side registered its maiden T20I series win over a full member of the ICC. Nepal defeated West Indies by 90 runs in the second T20I to gain a 2-0 unassailable lead in the three-match series at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. Akeal Hosein's West Indies were bowled out for just 83 in the chase of 174 as Nepal ran through the lineup from the Caribbean.
For Nepal, Mohammad Aadil Alam took four wickets while Kushal Bhurtel claimed three wickets. No West Indies batter was able to show some fight in the middle, and it was just owing to Jason Holder's 21-run knock off 15 balls that West Indies managed to bat for 17.1 overs.
This score of 83 is the lowest score by a full member nation against an associate team in men's T20Is. The previous record was held by England, who had scored 88 against the Netherlands in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Nepal's 90-run win margin is also the largest victory by an associate nation against a full-member team, surpassing Afghanistan's 81-run win over Zimbabwe in 2016.
Also Read: Nepal stun West Indies to script first victory over Full Member
Earlier, wicketkeeper-batter Aasif Sheikh played a knock of 68 off 47 balls to help Nepal post 173/6 in the allotted twenty overs after the side won the toss and opted to bat first. Sundeep Jora also chipped in with a rollicking knock of 63 runs off 39 balls with the help of 3 fours and five sixes.
What did the two captains have to say?
Speaking after the win, Nepal skipper Paudel said he was really pleased with the effort from his boys and that he couldn't have started the T20 World Cup qualifiers in a better way, in a bid to qualify for the tournament, which will be played in India and Sri Lanka early next year.
"We are very happy, it took a lot to win a game against a Test-playing country, and two days later we are winning a series, and we feel really happy. It's very important how Aasif and Jora played, and the way Jora accelerated, as it helped Aasif. Today we improved a lot, in the bowling department, the way we started in the powerplay," he said at the post-match presentation.
"A lot of eyes are on Nepal, we want to continue it and want to play many more series against Test-playing nations. We want to finish off on a high note, the motivation is there to clean sweep the series, for that we have to again start from the beginning. If we do that, we will carry the momentum to the qualifiers, and we want to qualify for the 2026 World Cup," he added.
On the other hand, Windies skipper Hosein was full of praise for Nepal, saying the opposition really caught them off-guard and their performance is not surprising.
"When you play against a group who have been together just for 4-5 years, you have your work cut out. A force together, you've got to play good cricket. When the West Indies play Nepal, everyone thinks it's a walkover. It's not about names, it's not about past stats, it's about how you adapt to the conditions and how you play the game," said Hosein.
