In a historic achievement, Nepal stunned West Indies by 19 runs in the first T20I at Sharjah on Saturday, clinching their first-ever win over a Full Member in any format. Put into bat, Nepal posted a competitive total of 148/8 in 20 overs.
Despite getting a shaky start, Nepal fought hard to bounce back in the game and put out a modest total. Suffering early hiccups, they lost both openers, Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh, for (6) and (3), respectively. Meanwhile, Rohit Paudel, the captain, top-scored with (38 off 35), anchoring the innings. Kushal Malla contributed an important (30) to provide major impetus in the middle.
Chasing 149, West Indies never quite got going as their batting order crumbled under disciplined bowling from Nepal. Fabian Allen (19) and Akeal Hosein (18) provided brief fightbacks but failed to keep West Indies on top. West Indies could only manage 129/9, handing Nepal a 19-run victory. With the win, Nepal now take an early 1-0 lead in the series.