Nepal clinches historic Unity Cup 2-1 win over West Indies in Sharjah

Nepal clinched a historic Twenty20 International series win over the West Indies in Sharjah on Tuesday, securing the three-match Unity Cup 2-1 after a dominant 90-run victory in the second game handed them an unassailable lead. The result marked Nepal’s first bilateral series win against a full ICC member, coming after an earlier upset in the opener on September 27.

Electing to bat in the second T20I on September 29, Nepal recovered from early losses to post 173 for 6. Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Rohit Paudel were dismissed cheaply, but Aasif Sheikh and Sundeep Jora steadied and then accelerated the innings with a century partnership. Sheikh remained unbeaten on 68 off 47 balls, while Jora struck 63 off 39; late contributions from Gulsan Jha and Mohammad Aadil Alam pushed the score to a defendable total. Sheikh was named player of the match.

West Indies’ reply collapsed under disciplined Nepal bowling. Mohammad Aadil Alam produced a four-wicket haul, finishing with figures of 4 for 24, and Kushal Bhurtel contributed three wickets as the Caribbean side were bowled out for 83 in 17.1 overs. The 90-run margin was the largest T20 victory by runs for an associate nation over a full...