Nepal carved their name into cricketing history on Monday night with a performance that stunned the cricket world, defeating the West Indies by 90 runs in Sharjah to complete a 2-0 series sweep. The result marked Nepal’s first-ever series triumph over a full-member nation, and the fact that it came against the two-time world champions made the occasion even more remarkable.
The contest began with Nepal opting to bat first, but the early overs brought trouble. Akeal Hosein struck twice, including the crucial dismissal of captain Rohit Paudel, leaving Nepal reeling at 16 for 2 inside four overs. For a brief moment, it seemed like their hopes of scripting history might fade, but Aasif Sheikh and Sundeep Jora had other ideas. Sheikh’s composed batting anchored the innings while Jora provided the fireworks, the pair putting together a century stand that completely shifted the momentum. Jora thrilled the Sharjah crowd with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, including back-to-back hits off Jediah Blades, while Sheikh remained steady, guiding the innings to a crucial unbeaten 68. By the end of the innings, Nepal had reached a commanding 173 for 6, a total that gave them every chance to push for a historic win.
In response, the West Indies never looked settled. The chase got off to a disastrous start as the first two overs produced just three runs, and Jewel Andrew was bowled soon after. The top order failed to find any rhythm, and by the fifth over the scoreboard reflected their struggles at 7 for 2. Mohammad Adil Alam then delivered a fiery spell that tore through the middle order, picking up four wickets and leaving the Caribbean side in tatters. Jason Holder offered a brief resistance with a pair of sixes, but his efforts were in vain as Kushal Bhurtel struck twice in the same over to remove Fabian Allen and Hosein, all but sealing the result. The West Indies were eventually dismissed for just 83 in the 18th over, handing Nepal an emphatic victory with nearly three overs to spare.
The defeat left the West Indies with an unwanted record as their total of 83 became the lowest ever by a full-member nation against an Associate side in T20I cricket. For Nepal, the 90-run margin stood as the biggest victory by runs ever recorded by an Associate against a full member, further underlining the scale of their achievement. This was not just a win but a statement, proof that Associate nations are capable of toppling even the most established teams on the global stage.
Match Summary: Nepal 173/6 in 20 overs (Aasif Sheikh 68*, Sundeep Jora 63; Akeal Hosein 2/21) defeated West Indies 83 in 17.1 overs (Mohammad Adil Alam 4/24, Kushal Bhurtel 3/16) by 90 runs.
