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Kathmandu — In a landmark achievement, Nepal defeated West Indies by 19 runs in the first T20 International match held on Saturday. This marks Nepal’s first-ever win against a full ICC member nation.
Chasing a target of 149 runs set by Nepal, West Indies managed only 129 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs.
Naveen Vidaisy top-scored for West Indies with 22 runs, while Amir Jango and Keacy Carty each contributed 19 runs.
For Nepal, Kusal Bhurtel was the standout bowler, taking 2 wickets for just 17 runs in 4 overs. Captain Rohit Paudel, Karan KC, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Nandan Yadav each claimed one wicket.
Earlier, after losing the toss and being invited to bat first, Nepal posted 148 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs.
Captain Rohit Paudel led the scoring with 38 runs off 35 balls, including 3 fours and 1 six. Kushal Malla added 30 runs off 21 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes. Gulshan Jha scored 22, and Dipendra Singh Airee made 17.
Despite losing two early wickets for just 12 runs, Rohit and Malla stabilized the innings with a 58-run partnership for the third wicket. However, Nepal couldn’t finish strongly and was restricted under 150.
For West Indies, Jason Holder took 4 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs. Debutant Naveen Vidaisy impressed with 3 wickets for 29 runs, while captain Akeal Hosein took 1 wicket.
Nepal has previously played major tournaments against teams like India, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh but had never defeated a full member nation—until today. This victory against West Indies is a historic milestone for Nepali cricket.
