Nepal stun West Indies to register historic first win against a full ICC member

Nepal achieved a historic milestone in their cricket history by beating two-time world champions West Indies by 19 runs in the first of the three T20I matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

This is Nepal's first-ever win against a full member nation, meaning a Test playing country, of the International Cricket Council (ICC.

West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl first. They managed to restrict Nepal to 148/8 in 20 overs. The batting team struggled to get off to a good start, losing Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh early to find themselves at 12/2 in the fourth over. However, captain Rohit Paudel scored 38 runs from 35 balls, while, Kusal Malla smashed 30 runs from 21 balls to help stabilise the innings.


Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for West Indies, taking 4/20, while Navin Bidaisee got 3-29, including the crucial wickets of Paudel and Malla.

During the chase, West Indies got off to a bad start, losing Kyle Mayers to a run out. Their batting never gained momentum as wickets fell regularly.

Many batters got starts but did not convert it into a big score, with everyone departing after brief stays at the crease.

Despite late blows from Fabian Allen and captain Akeal Hosein, the West Indies could only manage 129/9 in their 20 overs, falling short by 19 runs.

The second T20I of the series will be played on September 29. The West Indies team was missing several of their regular players for this match.

Nepal's bowling attack maintained consistent pressure throughout the innings, with Kushal Bhurtel taking 2-17 in his spell, contributing significantly to the historic win.