Nepal men's cricket team created history as they beat West Indies A in the first of the five T20Is that took place in Kirtipur on Saturday. The home side managed to chase down 206 with two balls and four wickets to spare as captain Rohit Paudel starred with an explosive hundred.
It was Nepal, who won the toss and elected to field first. While Alick Athanaze made the most of the first six overs, Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher could not quite make a notable a contribution.
Visiting captain Roston Chase slammed 74 off only 36 deliveries and found able support in Keacy Carty. The duo shared an 80-run stand to help West Indies A reach 204-5 in their stipulated 20 overs.
The home side used seven bowlers, but only Abinash Bohara and Lalit Rajbanshi completed their full quotas. Abinash Bohara finished as the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-0-28-1.
Nepal skipper stands tall, but lacks big contributions from other batters
Chasing a steep 205, the hosts lost two wickets inside five overs as Anil Sah and Kushal Bhurtel failed. Kushal Malla perished when the partnership with Rohit Paudel was nearing 50, while Dipendra Singh Airee walked back to the pavilion after a 64-run stand with the skipper.
Paudel reached the magical three-figure mark by taking a brace in the 18th over of the innings, but fell in the next over on 112 with the team on 192-6. However, Pratis G and Gulsan Jha stayed not out to guide their side to victory. Nepal finished things off with a boundary when only three runs were required. The pair was ecstatic after earning the historic win.
The five-game T20I series will provide ample preparation for the T20 World Cup, with Nepal set to play in the showpiece event for the first time since 2014.
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