Nepal completed their first-ever bilateral series victory against a Test-playing nation, defeating West Indies by 90 runs in the second T20I in Sharjah. This victory, following their win in the opening match, sealed the series with one game remaining. Nepal posted a competitive total before bowling the West Indies out for a mere 83 runs in the 18th over, marking the lowest total ever scored by a full ICC member nation against an associate team in T20s.
The total of 173 for 6 was powered by career-best performances from opener Aasif Sheikh and middle order batsman Sundeep Jora. After a shaky start at 43 for 3, Sheikh; an unbeaten 68 off 47 ball, and Jora; 63 off 39 balls, combined for a crucial 100-run partnership that anchored the innings and provided thesetup for a defendable score. This was complemented by a late cameo from Mohammad Aadil Alam.
The West Indies chase quickly unraveled, with Mohammad Aadil Alam claiming a career-best 4 wickets for 24 runs. He was well supported by Kushal Bhurtel, who picked up three wickets to run through the lower order. Only three West Indies batsmen reached double figures, with Jason Holder top-scoring with 21 runs. The loss by a 90-run margin also stands as the biggest margin of defeat ever inflicted by an associate team on a full member nation.
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel dedicated the historic series win to "the martyrs back home who participated in the protest. It took a lot to win against a test-playing country, that too in a series we are hosting," Paudel said, adding, "This was a very important series for us to showcase our cricket and talent to the world." Paudel emphasized that this was "just the beginning" for Nepal cricket.
The Rhinos now, have a boost of confidence, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia & EAP Qualifier 2025 next month in Oman. For West Indies captain Akeal Hosein, the defeat of his second-string team was a reality check. "If you try to benchmark yourself here and can't match the level, then you need to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're really international material," Hosein commented. Nepal now eyes a clean sweep in the third and final T20I on Tuesday.
