Cricket Massacre: West Indies beat Nepal with thrilling 101-run win!

In a thrilling match, West Indies dominated Nepal with a 101-run win to enhance their chances at the Super Six stage. Batting first after losing the toss, West Indies suffered early setbacks as Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles were dismissed by Karan KC and Gulshan Jha respectively, leaving them at 9 for 2. Sandeep Lamichhane continued his fine form and took the wicket of Brandon King with a googly.

However, a crucial moment came when Nicholas Pooran was dropped by keeper Asif Sheikh when he had scored only three runs. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Pooran hit sixes off Lalit Rajbanshi and Lamichhane. Shai Hope also joined the attacking game and both the batsmen built a strong partnership. Hope completed his half-century while Pooran completed his half-century at a brisk pace off just 51 balls. With a third of the innings remaining, West Indies were in a good position at 162 for 3.

They capitalized on a solid foundation, with Pooran carrying the attack while Hope provided the support. Pooran hit fours, including 15 runs in Jha’s over, and looked like he might even reach a hundred before Hope. Eventually, both the batsmen brought up their centuries in the 40th over, with Hope reaching the milestone in peace and Pooran completing his century in 81 balls with a four behind point.

West Indies 339 for 7 (Hope 132, Pooran 115, Rajbanshi 3-52) beat Nepal 238 (Arif 63, Holder 3-34, Joseph 2-45) by 101 runs.

In the last ten overs, the West Indies put on a show of their batting, scoring 98 runs with contributions from Rovman Powell and Jason Holder. They set Nepal a challenging target of 340 runs to secure their first point in the tournament.

Nepal struggled to chase down a strong total and lost the early wickets of Alzarri Joseph and Holder. Despite West Indies’ inconsistent fielding, which included many dropped catches and misfields, their run rate declined due to defensive play. However, in between these lapses, there were also moments of brilliance in the field, such as KC Carty’s brilliant catch at the boundary to dismiss Kushal Malla, and Roston Chase’s sharp catch to dismiss Dipendra Airi.

As the match progressed, Nepal found themselves in a critical position at 128 for 6. Arif Sheikh provided some resistance, scoring a spirited half-century and guiding the lower order to ensure a respectable total. Karan’s aggressive strokes helped Nepal cross the 200-run mark and manage to take the game to the last over, while the West Indies looked to be on the mend.

In the end, the West Indies sealed their second successive win as the result was clear for a long time. Despite Nepal’s brilliance and moments of spirited resistance, the West Indies emerged victorious and took a well-deserved victory.