Nepal claimed their biggest scalp yet in international cricket as they stunned West Indies in the first match of the T20 series in Sharjah.
They beat the two-time T20 world champions by 19 runs. The three-game campaign is the first time Nepal are playing a bilateral series against a full Test nation.
It is nominally being played to help them prepare for the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Oman next month, in which they hope to earn a return to that tournament, having played in the United States last time around.
Although that is what they are working towards, Stuart Law, the Nepal coach, said in the lead up to the game that he was confident his new charges could do something against a side he formerly coached.
His optimism was well placed, as his side soundly beat their illustrious guests. Rohit Paudel, the captain, top scored with 38 as Nepal managed to accrue 148-8 from their 20 overs, after being invited to bat first.
Kushal Malla, Gulshan Jha and Dipendra Singh Airee all made handy cameos, but scoring was not easy against the West Indies bowling attack.
The West Indies gave debuts to four players, but their XI was not short on big-match pedigree. Jason Holder, their former captain and Indian Premier League regular, was the pick of their bowling attack, taking 4-20 from his four overs.
And Kyle Mayers, another Barbadian with IPL experience, opened the batting. The crowd were deprived of seeing his power hitting, though – and much to their delight.
It is not clear how much analysis the West Indies would have been able to do on their opposition before this tour. One thing that should always precede the Nepal side is their reputation as an outstanding fielding unit.
That much was apparent at the start of the run-chase as quicksilver Kushal Bhurtel swooped in with a direct hit run-out to dismiss Mayers for just five.
Bhurtel would be the standout fielder in most cricket teams. In Nepal’s national team, though, there are plenty of candidates for that label.
Chief among them is Airee. The all-rounder also thrilled the crowd by a trademark piece of work when he pounced from cover to run out Keacy Carty.
That consolidated the momentum Nepal were starting to build. When Carty went, West Indies were 68-5 in the 13th over.
Still, they had Holder. It felt as though the former captain had the weight of his team’s chances on his shoulders when he came to the wicket.
It was too heavy a burden, though. He was caught by Paudel on the boundary off Bhurtel’s leg-spin for just five. The roar that greeted that dismissal was of the same pitch that Nepal are used to at their home ground at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.
Nepal rarely make things easy for themselves, and although they eventually closed out a comfortable enough win, they still had their scares towards the end.
Two catches were dropped and spilled over the boundary – the first for four, the second for six, as the West Indies tail wagged.
But Airee closed out a historic victory as the 28 runs the West Indies needed off the final over were far too many.
