In a surprising moment, red and blue-clad supporters celebrated in the corridors of the Sharjah stadium as their team sealed a record T20I series win over the West Indies. The 90-run victory not only provided Nepal with a 2-0 series lead with a game to spare, but also represented one of the most one-sided Associate-against-the-Full-Member displays in T20 history.
Bating first, Nepal achieved a competitive 173 for 6, based on a strong 100-run opening stand between Aasif Sheikh (68* off 47) and Sundeep Jora (63 off 39). Although their initial ten overs were sedate, the duo blazed in the second half, scoring nine sixes among them in a peppering of the boundary. While Akeal Hosein bowled well for West Indies, taking 2 for 21 and momentarily giving hope at 14 for 2, the Caribbean team never gained momentum.
West Indies in reply fell under the pressure of Nepal’s accurate bowling and even more accurate fielding. Cut down to 16 for 2 in the powerplay, they never gained momentum. Jason Holder’s 21 was the lone innings of value as the rest of the batting line-up could not adjust. Medium pacer Mohammad Aadil Alam, who played his first match for Nepal since 2022, impressed with the ball, taking 4 for 24. Kushal Bhurtel added three wickets to his previous heroics in the field, and Gulsan Jha amazed everyone with two breathtaking catches.
West Indies were dismissed for only 83, their lowest-ever Full Member tally against an Associate outfit and their sixth-lowest ever T20I score. They also became the worst Full Member loss by an Associate, a record that commemorates Nepal’s progress leading up to the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers. All of this without their big-hitting spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who was unavailable for personal reasons throughout the series.
