Sharjah: Nepal Clinch Historic T20I Series Win Over West Indies Khaleej Times

Nepal clinched a historic T20I series victory over the West Indies with a 90-run win in the second match at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Having won the first game by 19 runs on Saturday, Nepal scored 173 for six on the back of Aasif Sheikh's 47-ball 68 not out and Sundeep Jora's 39-ball 63.

In reply, the Windies were bowled out for 83 with Mohammad Aadil Alam (4/24) and Kushal Bhurtel (3/16) breaking the back of the opposition's batting.

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel was ecstatic after the victory.

"We are very happy. It took a lot to win against a Test-playing country. After two days, winning a bilateral series feels really great," Paudel said.

Nepal will now eye for a clean sweep when they play West Indies in the third match of the series on Tuesday.

"We want to continue this way and play more against Test-playing nations. We want to finish the series on a high note," Paudel said.

"The motivation is to complete a clean sweep but for that, we have to start again from the beginning. We want to carry this momentum into the qualifiers, and we want to qualify for the 2026 World Cup."

Nepal erupted with joy following their win in the first game on Saturday.

"It is a historic win for us and helps improve our players' standing in the cricketing world," Chatur Bahadur Chand, President of the Cricket Association of Nepal, said.

After the Nepali middle-order took them to a competitive score of 148-8, the bowlers produced a disciplined performance to restrict the West Indies.

Nepali fans in replica team jerseys cheered and waved the national flag as they watched the game in the stadium, TV images showed.

"It was not expected but as the game progressed we saw there was a chance we could win," said Pujan Thapa, 27, who watched the game with family and friends on TV in Kathmandu.

"We were so happy, we stood up and danced."

The historic cricket win came as Nepal recovers from a deadly anti-corruption protest that killed at least 73 people and toppled the government.

Paudel dedicated the win to the "martyrs" of the protests, saying it would be great if they could give people "a little bit of happiness", ESPNcricinfo reported.

Cricket does not enjoy the same adulation in mountainous Nepal as it does elsewhere in South Asia.

But it has been growing in popularity, with Nepal given one-day international status by the world governing body ICC in 2018.

Former chief selector Dipendra Chaudhary said the win was a result of the team's hard work.

"It will motivate them to play well and inspire other young cricketers," he said.

Social media platforms were also flooded with congratulatory messages for the players. (with inputs from AFP)

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