Mumbai: West Indies defeated Nepal by nine wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday to qualify for the Super Eights of the 2026 T20 World Cup, becoming the second team after South Africa to do so.
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West Indies were in poor form heading into the tournament, losing 2-1 to South Africa in the T20I series in January and to Nepal by the same score in the three-match T20I series in Sharjah last September. However, the T20 World Cup between India and Sri Lanka, which they had won in previous tournaments hosted by both countries, seemed to bring out the best in the Caribbean.
Former West Indies captain and current head coach Daren Sammy called the Wankhede Stadium “lucky” for them as they played perfect cricket to beat a listless Nepal side who had impressed in their first match against England.
The stars of West Indies’ win were their former and current captains Jason Holder and Shay Hope. Holder bounced back from conceding 0-34 in two overs in West Indies’ 30-run win over England earlier this week, restricting Nepal to 133-8 on their way to a 4-27 win after Nepal opted to bowl first on a pitch that initially appeared to be a two-step pace.
West Indies surprisingly got rid of the middle-order Romario Shepherd, who took five wickets in the first match, including a hat-trick. His replacement, Matthew Forde, bowled brilliantly with the new ball and finished with 1-10 in four overs, including a maiden wicket in the powerplay, a rarity in T20 cricket.
Chasing 134, Hope shook off the poor results of 0, 19 and 5 in the first three games to lead with 61 not out off 44 balls, with 5 fours and 3 sixes. He shared the second wicket with an unbeaten 91-run stand with Shimron Hetmyer, who remained unbeaten with 46 off 32 balls, including four fours and two sixes.
Hope and fellow opener Brandon King put on a 43-run start off 33 balls. Hope took a straight hit off Karan KC in the third over, while King made 22 off 17 balls before catching Nandan Yadav at mid-on. Hope also hit three of Cammy’s runs in the fifth inning.
Nepal’s biggest disappointment with the ball was leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichane, who conceded 0-38 in three overs amid the attacks of Hope and Hetmyer.
When asked about West Indies’ shocking loss to Nepal in the T20I series last year, Hope said at the post-match press conference, “Well, that’s in the past. It’s history. Nepal were playing very good cricket then. We have to stay in the moment and we have to make sure we play our best cricket because we think Nepal are a very good team, no matter where they are playing against. So, we need to play our ‘A’ game again but today, we need to get across the finish line to ensure our Super 8 qualification.”
West Indies’ last league match against Italy in Kolkata on Thursday has now sparked academic interest and they will play their first Super Eight match at the Wankhede on February 23. Nepal will play its final match against Scotland at Wankhede on Tuesday.
Sunday’s result knocked Nepal out of the competition, leaving their legions of fans frustrated. The rowdy stands were silent as the West Indian batsmen dominated, and it was only in the final moments led by Deependra Singh Alli and Sompal Kami that the Nepali fans made their voices heard. Airee scored 58 runs off 46 balls, including three fours and three sixes, while Kami scored 26 runs off 15 balls, including four fours, adding 54 runs off 26 balls for the seventh wicket after Nepal slipped to 73 for six in 15 overs.
Brief score: Nepal lost 133 for 8 in 20 overs (Dipendra Singh Airee 58, Sompal Kami 26; Jason Holder 4-27) to West Indies for 134 in 15.2 overs (Shai Hope 61, Shimron Hetmyer) Hetmyer (46); Nandan Yadav (1-24).
