West Indies vs Nepal, 1st T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Nepal won by 19 runs

NEP

148/8(20)

129/9(20)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

It's taken 180 internationals for Nepal before they registered their first win against a Full Member side and what a victory too. They were outstanding in the field and with the ball. The tone was set early on with the run-out by Bhurtel to get Mayers and Nepal richly deserve their victory. Now they would be looking for a series win when these two sides meet in the 2nd game on Monday (29th). Work for West Indies to do and they will know it. It's time to escape now. We will be there on Monday for the 2nd game. Do join us then. For now it's bye bye and ta, ta.

Rohit Paudel | Player of the Match and Nepal captain: It's feeling great, a long wait to beat a Test playing country, that too it has come in a series we have hosted in UAE. 150-160 was par here, looking at the previous series here, teams were winning after scoring 150-160. 80-90 per cent we have matched our skills, the spinners were great today as well as the experienced Karan and Sompal. Want to dedicate this award to the martyrs back home who participated in the protest. 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. (Has a message in Nepali for the people back home) It's just the beginning, lot more to come. The mindset was very clear, if we are coming here, we are there to win the series. We are still grounded, we will do the process right and we will see whatever comes next.

Akeal Hosein | West Indies captain: Both sides played good cricket, unfortunately we did not do good work to win. Thought it was a decent score, good pitch, maybe we gave away 15 runs too much, having said that we were very confident in chasing this down. They fielded well and they got two run-outs and those things break the back of a batting team. (on his batting unit) They have got the talent and the skill, it's about going out there and executing. We need to set a better platform, to give the guys a fair chance to come and chase it down. Without that, we will always be behind the eight-ball.

Kushal Bhurtel: Feeling really happy, to beat West Indies one of the toughest teams in T20s. Whatever I did with the bat or the ball, I love to do. Today feels really good. Back home it's a very critical situation, after this win, we give a lot of happiness. Credit to all the bowlers who bowled really well. We felt 150 was enough for the inexperienced West Indies side.

Stats by Shashikant Singh

Batters dismissed hit wicket on T20I debut
Hayden Walsh (USA) vs UAE, ICCA Dubai, 2019
Navin Bidaisee (WI) vs NEP, Sharjah, 2025*

Lowest total successfully defended by Nepal (T20I)
117/8 vs OMAN, Al Amerat, 2022
141/5 vs AFG, Chattogram, 2014 WC
148/8 vs WI, Sharjah, 2025*
149/8 vs HK, Chattogram, 2014 WC

First win for Nepal against a full member team in eight T20I games. They won against Afghanistan in the 2014 World Cup, but Afghanistan was an associate team then.

Another loss for West Indies against an Associate team after they lost against Scotland at Hobart in the 2022 World Cup. They lost against Ireland in 2014 and against Afghanistan in the 2016 T20 World Cup, when both those teams were an associate member.

22:09 Local Time, 18:09 GMT, 23:39 IST: Historic day for Nepal. A first win against a Test playing nation. They now are taking a lap around the ground, thanking their supporters. With all the recent happenings back home, this should feel like a much-needed balm. The fielding from Nepal was outstanding today - led by Airee and Bhurtel - apart from a couple of drops, that's what set them apart and the bowling backed it up. West Indies may not have their stars here but still they would have backed themselves to chase this down. The inexperience in the batting lineup though showed as they were choked by the spinners and they played too many dots during the middle overs. Regular wickets set them back too and it was too much for the likes of Holder, Akeal Hosein and Fabian Allen at the end to do. Nepal held their nerve nicely and closed it out to mark a glorious day in their cricketing history. They got so close to upsetting South Africa in the T20 World Cup in West Indies and now have dealt a blow to the men from the Caribbean. They go 1-0 up in the series. Stay tuned for the post-match stuff...

0 4 4 0 0 W (8 runs)

WI 129-9

Fabian Allen

19(14)

Obed McCoy

0(3)

Dipendra Singh Airee

3-0-20-1

19.6

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, out Caught by Bhurtel!! Fittingly a fantastic catch ends things. Nepal stun West Indies. This is full outside off, Fabian Allen gets forward and lofts, was going for six, Bhurtel at long-off times his leap to perfection, takes it over his head two-handed, realises he is going over, so throws it back into the field of play, goes out, then calmly comes in to take it. Exceptionally judged catch and that is some way to inflict a defeat. Nepal can rejoice and so they will. Fabian Allen c Bhurtel b Dipendra Singh 19(14) [4s-3]

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Is that taken cleanly? Looks like it. A wicket to end things. OUT.

19.5

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, no run, fired in on a yorker length on middle, dug out to the vacant mid-wicket area and Fabian Allen doesn't want a run

19.4

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, no run, full outside off, Fabian Allen gets forward and lofts, powerfully but straight to the fielder at long-off and Nepal's supporters are already celebrating

19.3

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, FOUR, that won't help West Indies. Full outside off, Fabian Allen gets forward and lofts, cleanly and wide of long-off, just four

They now need four sixes off the next four balls.

19.2

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, FOUR, full on off, Fabian Allen gets forward and bludgeons it, beats the diving long-on to his left, West Indies just about alive

19.1

Dipendra Singh to Fabian Allen, no run,

Dipendra Singh Airee [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack

All on Fabian Allen to do this for West Indies. Not going to be easy with 28 needed.