Nepal cricket team made history by defeating West Indies in a T20I bilateral series at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on September 29, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead with a 90-run victory in the second match. The Rohit Paudel-led side achieved multiple milestones, including becoming the first associate team to win a bilateral series against West Indies in any format and setting a record for the biggest victory margin by a non-Test playing team.Nepal won the toss and chose to bat first, posting a total of 173 runs despite losing three early wickets. Asaif Sheikh and Sundeep Jora contributed with half-centuries to build the competitive total.The West Indies batting lineup collapsed under Nepal’s bowling attack, getting dismissed for just 83 runs. Mohammad Aadil Alam emerged as the leading bowler with four wickets, while Kushal Bhurtel supported with three wickets.This victory marks Nepal’s first series win over a full-member team across any format. While Nepal has previously competed against Test-playing nations in multi-national tournaments, this was their first bilateral series against such opposition.The margin of victory surpassed the previous record held by Afghanistan, who had defeated Zimbabwe by 81 runs in 2016, before becoming a Test-playing nation in 2017. Among current associate nations, Namibia held the previous record with a 55-run victory over Sri Lanka in the 2022 T20 World Cup.Nepal’s triumph comes after their disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2025 Asia Cup, which featured three associate teams for the first time in its history. The team had also come close to defeating South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup, losing in a last-over thriller.The Asian team now looks forward to the Asian-EAP qualification tournament for the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Oman from October 8-17.For West Indies, this defeat adds to their recent struggles in international cricket. The Caribbean team faces India in a two-match Test series in three days, coming off a challenging year that included being bowled out for 26 runs against Australia in a Test match and suffering a 5-0 T20I series defeat to the same opposition at home.The series began with Nepal’s 19-run victory over West Indies in the first T20I on September 27, setting the stage for their historic achievement in the second match.
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