Kathmandu: Nepal’s captain, Rohit Kumar Paudel, hammered a century as the Rhinos registered a four-wicket victory over West Indies ‘A’ in the inaugural match of the five-game T20 series at TU Cricket Ground in Kathmandu on Saturday.
Opting to bat first, the visitors set a formidable target of 205 runs for Nepal, led by skipper Roston Chase’s impressive 76 off 46 deliveries, adorned with nine fours and two sixes.
In response, Nepal faced an early setback with opener Anil Sah departing in the third over, followed swiftly by the dismissal of his partner, Kushal Burtel, in the fifth.
The chase encountered turbulence until captain Paudel and Kushal Malla steadied the innings, amassing 44 runs before Malla fell victim to a run-out in the 10th over.
As the innings progressed, Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee exhibited composure, contributing 64 runs to the team’s tally. Airee’s departure after scoring 24 left Paudel to lead the charge, culminating in a magnificent century off just 47 balls. Although Bibek Yadav managed only seven runs, Paudel continued his onslaught until he was finally dismissed in the penultimate over, having amassed a remarkable 112 runs from 54 balls.
With nine runs required from the final six deliveries, Pratish GC kicked off the last over with a boundary. Two singles followed before Gulshan Jha sealed the victory with consecutive boundaries.
For the West Indies ‘A’ team, Andre Fletcher contributed 13 runs off five balls, while Alick Athanaze showcased brisk batting with 47 runs. However, it was captain Roston Chase who led from the front, notching up 74 runs off 46 balls. Keacy Carty also made a valuable contribution with 38 runs.
On the bowling front, Abinash Bohara stood out for Nepal, claiming one wicket for a mere 28 runs from his four overs. DS Airee, Rohit Paudel, and Kamal Singh Airee also chipped in with one wicket each.
The second match is slated to take place tomorrow at the same venue.
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