3 min readUpdated: Feb 15, 2026 03:45 PM IST
As the afternoon sun blazed over the Wankhede Stadium, the West Indies’ campaign at the ongoing T20 World Cup gathered further momentum, as they defeated Nepal by nine wickets to qualify for the Super 8 stage and maintain their undefeated start to the tournament.
After the bowlers had set up the contest with a disciplined showing in the first innings, captain Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer finished off the chase of 134 runs with a 91-run stand for the second wicket, which also ensured that Nepal’s search for the elusive first win would now stretch into its final league phase match against Scotland at the same venue on Tuesday.
West Indies vs Nepal, T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights: West Indies defeat Nepal by 9 wickets to secure Super 8 spot
Holder shines
Hope had said at the toss that the reason to bowl first was the dampness on the surface. His bowlers responded to his decision splendidly, as the trio of Akeal Hosein, Matthew Forde and Jason Holder reduced Nepal to 23/3 in the powerplay.
Forde, who replaced Romario Shepherd in the playing XI, was the most impressive of the lot, maintaining excellent discipline to not allow the Nepalese batters to get off the blocks. The early work put in by him was complemented superbly by the experienced Holder, who emerged as the pick of the West Indies bowlers, claiming 4/27 in his four overs.
The Barbadian’s tall frame allows him to generate extra bounce on any surface, but on Sunday, Holder got three out of his four wickets from the full ball, thereby showing a different dimension to his bowling which could be useful for the West Indies in the later stages of the tournament.
Dipendra Singh Airee is often termed as the heartbeat of the current Nepal team for his ability to galvanise the side in the best and the worst days. On Sunday, the 26-year-old played the lone hand for Nepal, stroking his way to 58 off 47 balls, which helped his side get to a score that gave the bowlers something to bowl at.
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Brief Scores: Nepal 133/8 in 20 overs (Dipendra Singh Airee 58; Jason Holder 4/27) lost to West Indies 134/1 in 15.2 overs (Shai Hope 61, Shimron Hetmyer 46) by 9 wickets.
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