DUBAI, United Arab Emirates,( CMC )– West Indies’ batsmen faltered once again, this time against minnows Nepal, on their way to a humiliating 19-run defeat in their opening T20I here on Saturday.
Jason Holder and Navin Bidaisee shared seven wickets between them and were the main reason Nepal was limited to 148 for eight from 20 overs, after they were sent in to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
But faced with a seemingly straightforward run chase, Bidaisee was the only batter to score more than 20, as the Windies were restricted to 129 for nine in their 20 overs to give Nepal their first-ever win against a Full Member.
It also propelled them to a 1-0 lead in the three-match Unity Cup series.
For captain and Player-of-the-Match, Rohit Paudel, the victory was not only historic, but also welcomed, as it capped off a difficult few weeks for the people of Nepal.
“I think it feels great, especially after a long wait to beat a Test-playing country. It finally came in a historic series where we hosted it in the UAE.
“…I want to dedicate this Man-of the Match award to the martyrs who lost their lives in the Gen-Z protest in Nepal. The last month has not been great for us, so if we can give a little bit of happiness to the people of Nepal, I think that would be great,” Paudel said in a post-match interview.
For the umpteenth time, the West Indies’ top order batsmen failed to deliver, as their opponent – ranked 18th in the ICC T20I rankings – dominated them with their plethora of medium pacers and spinners.
Opener Kyle Mayers drove the first ball of the innings from pacer Dipendra Singh Airee through cover for four, but after adding just one more run he was spectacularly run out by a direct throw from Kushal Bhurtel stationed at extra cover.
Ackeem Auguste, one of four debutants in the West Indies side, looked good during his brief knock of 15 off seven balls, and together with Amir Jangoo carried the score to 32 for one in the fifth over.
However, when Auguste mistimed his attempted drive off Nandan Yadav to be caught at the edge of the circle, it triggered a collapse that saw them spectacularly lose five wickets for just 44 runs.
Paudel had Jewel Andrew caught at long on for five, Jangoo was outfoxed by Lalit Rajbanshi and was caught at deep backward square for 19, Keacy Carty was needlessly run out for 16 attempting a suicide single and Holder made just five before being dismissed by Bhurtel to see them slump to 76 for six in the 15th over.
Bidaisee, who top scored with 22, Fabian Allen, who made 19 and captain Akeal Hosein who hit 18 from nine balls, tried their best to revive the innings but could not keep up with the required run rate and they eventually fell well short of their target.
Earlier, Holder grabbed four wickets and Bidaisee three, as West Indies did well to contain Nepal.
Nepal also found themselves in early trouble following the early loss of openers Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh that saw them slip to 12 for two, but Paudel, who topscored with 38 and Kushal Malla, who made 30, came to their rescue during a 58-run partnership for the third wicket.
And after Bidaisee removed both batsmen in quick succession to leave Nepal 89 for four in the 13th over, Gulshan Jha and Singh Airee made useful contributions of 22 and 17 respectively to help get them up to their eventual total.
Holder finished with figures of 4-20 from his four overs, while Bidaisee took 3-29. The second T20I will be played on Monday.
