E-Paper
Sign in
Nepal stun West Indies to script first victory over Full Member: ‘Dedicate this to martyrs who participated in protest'
Rohit Paudel-led Nepal stunned West Indies in the first T20I, winning the match by 19 runs.
Rohit Paudel-led Nepal made history on Saturday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, recording their first-ever victory against an ICC Full Member. Nepal defeated Akeal Hossain's West Indies by 19 runs in the first T20I to write another chapter in their growing cricket history. It has taken 180 internationals for Nepal to go all the way against a full member side, but the wait was completely worth it for the team.
Throughout the contest in Sharjah, Nepal was brilliant with the ball and in the field, defending 148 runs. The tone was set in the second over itself, as Kushal Bhurtel ran out opening batter Kyle Mayers for just 5 runs off eight balls.
No Windies batter was able to show resistance in front of a spirited Nepal bowling performance, and as a result, Paudel and his team went on to script their most famous victory yet. For the Windies, Navin Bidaisee was the top scorer with an innings of 22 runs off 25 balls.
For Nepal, Kushal Bhurtel returned with two wickets while Dipendra Singh Airee, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Lalit Rajbanshi and Paudel took one wicket each. This effort allowed Nepal to restrict the West Indies to 129/9 in the allotted twenty overs.
Earlier, with the bat in hand, Nepal posted 148/8 in 20 overs owing to a 38-run knock by captain Paudel. Kushal Malla also chipped in with a handy innings of 30 off 21 balls. For the West Indies, Jason Holder was the top wicket-taker, returning with a spell of 4/20 in his quota of four overs.
After the win, Paudel said that it was a great feeling to beat the West Indies, saying it was just the start of something beautiful for Nepal cricket. He also dedicated the victory to the people who participated in the 'Gen Z protests' in September 2025.
"It's feeling great, a long wait to beat a Test-playing country, that too it has come in a series we have hosted in the UAE. 150-160 was par here, looking at the previous series here, teams were winning after scoring 150-160. 80-90 per cent, we have matched our skills, the spinners were great today, as well as the experienced Karan and Sompal," said Paudel at the post-match presentation.
"Want to dedicate this award to the martyrs back home who participated in the protest. The last month has not been great for us, so if we can give a little bit of happiness to the people of Nepal, I think that would be great. It's just the beginning, a lot more to come," the 23-year-old added.
What were the protests all about?
Large-scale protests and demonstrations took place in Nepal earlier this month following a nationwide ban on numerous social media platforms. People hit the theatres as they grew frustrated with corruption. The protests saw violence against public officials and vandalism of government and political buildings.
The protests led to the resignations of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and a few other government ministers.
Sushila Karki was then appointed as the interim Prime Minister of Nepal. The protests at last died down by September 13.
