From Kathmandu, Pokhara, Jhapa, and all the way to the peak of Mount Everest and the Annapurna range, the Nepalese cricketers have achieved the unthinkable! This is a historic first win for the men in blue and red against a full member nation, a victory that will resonate across the country. The team showed the courage of the highest spirit and the willpower of the mountain areas. What a monumental moment for the nation to secure this win! And look at the hundreds of Nepal fans in the stands, continuously cheering and shouting for their team for four hours or more! You simply cannot write a better script. Nepal, this is your moment to cherish, your moment to enjoy, and your moment to thrive! Alright, back to cricket now. It was a fuller length ball in the slot around the off stump line, Allen hangs back deep inside the crease and whacks it straight and flat towards long off. Bhurtel took the initial grab, tossed the ball high into the field as he lost his balance and went over the ropes, then jumped back in to complete a spectacular catch!
Nepal vs West Indies, 1st T20I at Sharjah, NEP vs WI, Sep 27 2025 - Match Result
Phew, what a day of cricket! Nepal takes a crucial 1-0 lead in the series with a historic win and will return to this ground on September 29th to try and seal the series. For the West Indies, there's an inexperienced squad with a lot of work to do, and little time left to salvage the series. That's all the action from us today. Thank you all for joining us and staying with us throughout this breathtaking session of cricket. Time to say goodbye. This is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Chetan Kumar and the rest of the ESPNcricinfo crew. Goodnight and goodbye!
Abhishek: "First ever win against a full-member team. Thank you team! Now, let's get the series. All the best for next two matches "
sijan bhattarai: "please keep this comment here for the reckrd book?this is a historic achievement for Nepali cricket.. Lets hope we can live the moment and continue growing up..This game scorecard will be seen many times by the Nepali fans now "
Player of the Match, Rohit Paudel: "[Historic Victory] Absolutely, I think it feels great, especially after a long wait to beat a Test-playing country. It finally came in a historic series where we hosted it in the UAE. I thought the score was good, and the pitch was good. I think 150-160 was par here, because the team batting first was winning around that score in the previous series. So we were looking for 150-160 to give a tough challenge. We have done better in 80-90% of our skills. The experience that Karan KC and Sompal Kami bring to the table sold it today. Our fielding was outstanding, we were brilliant between the wickets, and our spinners were exceptional. Kushal Bhurtel bowled really well today. [Dedication & Message to Nepal] I want to dedicate this Man of the Match award to the martyrs who lost their lives in the Gen-Z protest in Nepal. The last month has not been great for us, so if we can give a little bit of happiness to the people of Nepal, I think that would be great. [Leading the Series] Obviously, coming into the series, the mindset was very clear: if you are coming here to play a series, it is to win the series. The way we played today, I think this potentially gives us a high chance to win, but we will stay grounded and do our process right. We will follow whatever comes next."
Akeal Hosein: "That's the game of cricket, to be involved in front of a really good crowd. Both sides played good cricket. Unfortunately, we didn't do enough work to come over the line with a win. [Score difference] I thought 148 was a decent score on a good pitch. Maybe I thought we gave away 15 runs too much, but we were very confident that we could have chased that score. Nepal also fielded well to get two run-outs. Those things are always crucial, and those things break the back of batting teams. [Four Debutants] I think we've got the talent and the skill. It's just about going out there and executing. I think we definitely need to set a better platform, and that way, you can give the guys a fair chance to come and finish the game. Without a platform, and you're losing wickets at the wrong time, you're always going to be under pressure and be behind the eight ball when you're chasing."
Kushal Bhurtel: "[On the Historic Win] I feel really happy to beat the West Indies, one of the toughest sides in T20 cricket. Whenever I get to contribute with the bat or the ball, I love it. That night against South Africa was very memorable, but today was really good. Talking about Nepal right now, it's a very crucial, critical situation back home. But after the win, I think we gave lots of happiness to the Nepalese back in Nepal and in Dubai as well. Credit goes to all the bowlers; they bowled really well. In the grand scheme, we knew 140-150 would be enough against this inexperienced West Indies side. We beat them in a T20 game, and it feels really good. The head coach wanted us to lose the nickname 'cardiac kids,' and we did that tonight. [First Win Against a Test Nation] This is the first win for Nepal against a Test nation, so I feel really happy."
Bishal Parajuli: "The wait is over. The belief has paid off. Nepal has arrived on the world stage."
Shrochis : "I was in the stands when we lost by one run to South Africa in lost year's world cup. I did not think I would live to see this day"
10:16 pm What a moment for Nepal! They secure a 1-0 series lead, handing the West Indies their fourth loss to an Associate nation in T20 cricket. Nepal struck early, with Bhurtel's individual brilliance securing a direct-hit run-out to dismiss Mayers in the second over. Auguste tried to counter-attack with quick boundaries but lost his wicket after a brisk 15 runs off 7 balls. Skipper Rohit Paudel then got the wicket of Jewel Andrew, who had a disappointing day both with the bat and in the field. The Nepalese fielders were lightning quick on the ground, saving several runs and keeping the batters at bay. The West Indies batters battled to rotate the strike against the controlled bowling and outstanding fielding, stacking up dot balls and losing wickets under pressure. Nepal missed three chances in the 18th over; two of them dwere ropped catches and one was a no-ball. Akeal Hosein provided a ray of hope with 18 runs off 9 balls, but the West Indies fell shy by 19 runs in the end. Bhurtel picked up two wickets, with the remaining five wickets shared by five other bowlers. Don't go anywhere folks, post-match presentation ceremony coming up shortly.
Nepal won by 19 runs
Quicker yorker ball darted on the stumps, hangs back and squeezes it to the on-side
Length ball outside the off stump channel, hammers it straight down the ground to long off. Loud cheer from the stands!
Bowls another widish fuller length ball outside off, plays it inside-out and did not get enough elevation, one bounce and onto the extra cover ropes!
Widish length ball outside off, drills it away and gets it straight of long on for a boundary!
Quicker and fuller outside off, hoicks it down the ground to long on
28 needed from the last over, here's Airee, around the wicket
Three dots in a row! Karan continues with the slower ball tactic, keeping the length outside of McCoy's hitting arc. The batter throws his bat at it; this one kept low and no bat is involved.
Short pitched ball outside off, another wild swing and a miss from McCoy, excellent line and length from Karan KC
Excellent widish slower ball outside off, wild swing and a miss
McCoy in
Hosein bites the dust! Banged in short pitched slower ball, stands tall inside the crease and swings it away, miscues the stroke with no pace to work with, connects the sticker part of the bat and fails to clear the boundary, finds the long on fielder.
Widish low full toss ball forces it away to deep mid wicket for a single
Continues around the wicket
Khalid : "dont write off WI just yet! they are know for firework when needed"
widish fuller length ball drills it straight of long off, Paudel comes around and collects it cleanly.
Here's Karan KC, 30 runs needed off 12 balls. Around the wicket
slower through the air ball outside off, toe ends towards the cover area
Bhurtel has parried it over the ropes! Full and overpitched ball wide outside off, hoicks it away and hits it flat towards deep mid wicket. Bhurtel waits for the ball near the ropes and timed his jump well, but could not hold on to it in the end!
A difficult chance goes begging! Length ball wide outside off, full swing of the bat and strikes with the leading edge, short third man fielder tracks back and tries to settle underneath, spills it as he was running backwards towards the ropes.
change of pace ball pitching outside off, wild swing and a miss
change of pace ball outside off, wild swing of the bat and connects the toe end to long on
Muscles it away! Widish length ball goes deep inside the crease and hammers it wide of deep mid wicket for a boundary
Free Hit
In the airrrr. And taken! Oh dear! No-ball signaled by the on-field umpire! Fuller length ball in the slot, goes for the big heave and miscues the stroke in the air, deep backward square leg fielder comes around and takes a spectacular catch. But, Allen survives!
Gets off the mark with a biggie! Widish length ball in the slot, shuffles across and gets inside the line of the ball, nails the slog sweep and sends it sailing out of the park!
2W | ||||
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1W | ||||
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| Sharjah Cricket Stadium | |
| Toss | West Indies, elected to field first |
| Series | |
| Season | 2025 |
| Player Of The Match | |
| Series result | Nepal led the 3-match series 1-0 |
| Match number | T20I no. 3477 |
| Match days | 27 September 2025 - night (20-over match) |
| T20I debut | |
| Umpires | |
| TV Umpire | |
| Reserve Umpire | |
| Match Referee | |