Match Details

NEP vs WI 9th Match, WCQ 2023

NEP

238-1049.4

West Indies won by 101 runs 🏆

50.0339-7

Match info

Live

Scorecard

Player of the Match

Shai Hope

West Indies

132(129)

NEP - 2nd Innings

Session	Open	PASS
10 Over	47	42
15 Over	66	59
20 Over	80	81
25 Over	100	114
30 Over	142	132
35 Over	159	149
40 Over	178	176

WI - 1st Innings

Session	Open	PASS
10 Over	56	30
20 Over	88	83
25 Over	114	111
30 Over	149	150
35 Over	183	185
40 Over	229	241
50 Over	352	339

Commentary

So, that’s it from his Group A fixture of ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023. It was another comprehensive performance from the Windies and they will now face the hosts Zimbabwe on Saturday in what promises to be a gripping encounter. Join us tomorrow for some Group B action and stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world. For now, this is Megh Mandaliya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Hitesh Peddurwar alongside our scorer/analyst Dushyant Madhukar Kumar. Cheers!

Shai Hope(West Indies Captain): " I must say it's a commendable effort, we needed to stabilize after getting to a bad start. Me and Pooran just tried to absorb the pressure and take the game deep as their bowlers bowled pretty well. When there was last ten to eight overs left we tried to take the charge. Yeah, Pooran has played beautifully today. I must say that Nepal played really well.

Today we just thought, Alzarri was the best bowler for us with the new ball and just get the quick wickets. Yeah, the plan was to bowl the short balls. I think we just need to keep working on the mindset for improving our fielding, the key for the fielding is our mindset. The aim is just to get the best out of the players."

Rohit Paudel (Nepal Captain): "I think we bowled really well early on but we dropped some important catches. Both the batters also batted really well and credit goes to them. I guess we are a good fielding side and we will look to improve on that in the next game. I think they bowled good short balls to us. We could have used to the pace of that but failed to do so. Gulsan Jha and Aarif Sheikh played well. I think playing against test-playing nations has taught me a lot because you have to be up to the mark in every game. We are looking forward to the final game. If we win there, we will be in the Super Six."

Shai Hope(Player of the Match): " I still believe that the rhythm was a bit off today, but good to stay out in the middle. The aim was to soak to pressure in the middle and take the game deep. I don't think I hit the targets where I wanted to but happy that I batted deep and took my team to a good score. Yeah, they bowled pretty well, especially with their spinners, I think we batted pretty well to take on their spinners. Yeah happy to bat at number 4 as we have got two wins."

Shai Hope is the Player of the Match.

8:24 PM IST, 4:54 PM Local Time | Nepal has been skittled out for 238 as West Indies have drubbed the Asain side by 101 runs to win two games in a row in the Qualifiers. They have displayed a dominant show in all the facets of the play and this victory will be a huge boost to their net run rate as well. It was simply a lackluster performance from Nepal and they will have to go back to the drawing board in an attempt to bounce back in their final encounter against the Netherlands.

Chasing a mammoth total of 340, Kushal Bhurtel took the aggressive route straightaway and collected an early boundary but Alzarri Joseph was quick to draw the first blood by uprooting the right-hander for 5(6). Jason Holder also soon joined the wickets tally by removing Bhim Sharki, who departed on 2(7) while attempting a reckless scoop shot. A couple of opportunities went begging in the slip cordon as Aasif Sheik and skipper Rohit Paudel pulled through the tricky period of the powerplay. However, the Windies pacers were disciplined with their lines and lengths and Keemo Paul also delivered the goods with the ball by removing Aasif Sheikh on 28(36).

Rohit Paudel and Aarif Sheikh displayed some resistance in the middle overs and eluded a collapse. However, they were unable to accelerate the innings and the short ball ploy from Holder paid dividends to him as Paudel 30(43) holed out in the deep. Kushal Malla tried to counterattack with wickets tumbling at the other end but an exceptional grab from Keacy Carty dismissed the southpaw on 2(6). A little partnership developed for Nepal as Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee added 37 runs for the 6th wicket but another loose shot halted their progress.

The lower-middle order of Nepal was able to withstand the West Indies bowlers but they were equally good to stem the flow of runs and avoid gifting any freebies. Gulsan Jha and Aarif Sheikh stitched a sluggish 68-run partnership for the 7th wicket. The right-handed Aarif brought up a valiant half-century 63(93) before Alzarri Joseph got rid of him at the backend of the innings. Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Maroon and he finished his stint with stunning figures of 3/34.

Earlier in the day, after being invited to bat first, Nepal pressed the Windies on the backfoot straightaway as Karan KC continued his blistering form and removed the southpaw Kyle Mayers 1(4) in the second over courtesy of magnificent athleticism by Kushal Bhurtel. Gulsan Jha handed another setback to the Windies by outwitting Johnson Charles for a duck and things started to look more gloomy for the two-time World Cup champions. West Indies were reduced to 9/2 inside the first half of the powerplay. The Windies’ top order failed to negate the early swing and only managed to aggregate 30 runs off the powerplay.

Shai Hope and Brandon King got together to offer some needful respite but the rotation of strike was always in question. They stitched a sluggish 46-run partnership for the 3rd wicket Sandeep Lamichhane weaved his magic and had the woods over the right-hander 32(42). West Indies once again found themselves in a spot of bother but it was the former skipper Nicholas Pooran and the current skipper Shai Hope who resurrected the West Indies innings with some intense ball-striking. The left-hander Pooran was the primary aggressor and counterattacked the spinners while Hope kept detecting the gaps.

The left-right pair of Pooran and Hope batted with controlled aggression and changed the entire complexion of the game. There were some missed opportunities from the Nepal fielders as well as the partnership kept flourishing. Both the batters brought up their respective centuries in the 40th over. It was Hope’s 15th century and Pooran also notched up his maiden hundred in the 50-over format since 2019. The 216-run partnership was broken by Dipendra Singh Airee as Pooran was dismissed on 115(94) in the acceleration process. Rovman Powell, the next batter in, continued where Pooran and swatted a quick 29(14). Hope also kept the scorecard moving at a brisk rate before holing out on 132(129) in the final over of the first innings. Stick around for the post-match presentation!

Out

K KC

28(27)

c&b K Mayers

4s/6s

4/1

103.70

49.4 K Mayers to K KC

W Caught and bowled!!!! Mayers has the last laugh and West Indies have won this encounter by 101 runs. Fuller length delivery on the leg stump line, Karan once again clears the front leg in the mood to dispatch it into the crowd. But this time Mayers bowls this closer to Karan's body and Karan ends up chipping it straight back into the hands of Mayers.

49.3 K Mayers to K KC

6 In the air and goes out of the park!!!!! Fuller length delivery on the middle stump line, Karan clears his front leg gets under the ball and smokes it straight over the bowler's head. The ball goes miles up in the air and goes into the crowd for six runs.

49.2 K Mayers to K KC

0 Fuller length delivery on the off-stump line, Karan drills it towards mid-off region.

49.1 K Mayers to K KC

0 Around the wicket. Low full toss on the pads, Karan clips it towards deep square leg region.

West Indies have been penalized for slow over rate. An additional fielder is being brought into the inner ring. Kyle Mayers will bowl the final over of the contest.

OVER 49

Nepal

232/9

Lalit Rajbanshi

0(1)

Karan KC

22(23)

Keemo Paul

2-63(10.0)

48.6 K Paul to L Rajbanshi

0 Fuller length delivery angling into the middle stump line, Lalit defends it back to the bowler.

48.5 K Paul to K KC

1 Back of the length delivery outside the off-stump line, Karan steers it down towards deep point region.

48.4 K Paul to K KC

0 Leg cutter on the fuller length on the middle stump line, Karan tries to smack it on the leg side but gets it on the pads.

48.3 K Paul to K KC

4 FOUR MORE!!!! A lucky boundary for Karan. Good length delivery angling into the batter, Karan tries to heave it on the leg side but gets a thick inside edge and the ball goes fine towards the deep fine leg region for four runs.