Skipper Shai Hope led from the front with an unbeaten 61 as West Indies brushed aside Nepal by nine wickets to become the first team to qualify for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
After Jason Holder returned impressive figures of 4 for 27 to restrict Nepal to 133 for 8 — despite a valiant 58 not out from Dipendra Singh Airee — West Indies chased down the target in just 15.2 overs, finishing on 134 for 1 with 28 balls to spare in their Group C clash.
With three wins from three matches, West Indies sit comfortably atop the group table and have sealed their Super 8 berth.
Hope’s 61 not out came off 44 balls and included five fours and three sixes, marking a timely return to form. He was ably supported by Shimron Hetmyer, who remained unbeaten on 46 from 32 deliveries, striking four fours and two sixes. The pair stitched together an unbroken 91-run stand for the second wicket to seal the chase in style.
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Nepal’s only breakthrough came when Brandon King (22) miscued a lofted shot to mid-on after a brisk start. Beyond that, their bowlers struggled to create pressure as West Indies coasted home.
Earlier, Nepal endured another disappointing batting display. Airee stood tall amid the collapse, smashing three sixes and three fours in his 47-ball 58. Sompal Kami chipped in with a late unbeaten 26, including three consecutive boundaries in the 18th over, to push the total past 130.
Nepal had slumped to 46 for 5 in the 11th over after a series of poor shot selections on what appeared a good batting surface at the Wankhede Stadium.
The slide began in the opening over when Kushal Bhurtel was bowled by Akeal Hosein. Captain Rohit Paudel fell cheaply after a failed review, while Aarif Sheikh gifted Holder a first-ball wicket with a tame shot to fine leg.
At 22 for 3 after six overs, Nepal recorded the lowest powerplay score of this T20 World Cup. Lokesh Bam and Gulsan Jha failed to capitalise, leaving Airee and Kami to mount a late 54-run partnership that gave the innings some respectability.
However, the modest total was never enough against a dominant West Indies side that continued their unbeaten march in the tournament.
