West Indies A have clinched the T20 series against Nepal with a game to spare, defeating the hosts by 28 runs in match four, defending their set target for the third time in a row.
Nepal chasing a stiff target once again suffered a collapse at the top before losing consistent wickets, being bundled out on the last ball of the innings for 181. With the win, they lead the series 3-1.
In yet another disappointing outing for the Nepali opening pair, Aasif Sheikh, playing his first game of the series, was dismissed for a duck, with Kushal Bhurtel, continuing his poor form, could only manage a single run.
Kushal Malla also departed soon, scoring just four runs and failing to make an impact. Fabien Allen dismissed both Kushals in the same over. Nepali skipper Rohit Paudel showed exceptional form by smashing his third consecutive fifty. He was the fifth batter to be dismissed, but not before scoring 82 runs off 47 balls. Sundeep Jora and Dipendra Singh Airee contributed somewhat, scoring 19 runs each before getting dismissed.
At one point, it looked like Nepal was right on track chasing a massive total, but once Rohit and Dipendra departed, the loss was inevitable for the hosts. Gulshan Jha dismissed Airee four balls later after he went back to the pavilion on 19 runs. Abinash Bohara played a little cameo of 17 runs off eight balls, but it was too little, too late.
Matthew Forde and Hayden Walsh were brilliant for West Indies A, both claiming three wickets each while conceding at an economy rate of just over six. Fabien Allen and Gudakesh Motie also picked up two wickets each, but the latter was targeted by Nepali batters as he leaked 55 runs.
Earlier, West Indies opted to bat first. Opener Alick Athanaze once again went back to the pavilion early, scoring just 5 runs. In a similar vein to earlier in the series, it was Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher, the star batters of the series for West Indies, who shared a brilliant 92-run partnership, propelling the innings forward.
Kushal Bhurtel got rid of the in-form Johnson Charles, who was caught just ahead of the boundary line while attempting his seventh six of the innings. Charles scored 58 runs off 30 balls with the help of three fours and six towering sixes. Keacy Carty struggled during his short stay, managing just four runs off 10 balls. Both Fabien Allen and Andre Fletcher remained unbeaten. Fletcher top-scored the innings with 84 runs off 54 balls, with Allen contributing 33 runs off 19 balls.
Kushal Bhurtel claimed two wickets, while Pratish GC nabbed one, the only two bowlers to take wickets for Nepal. Apart from Sompal and Kushal, no other bowlers managed to maintain an economy rate below 10. Opening batter Kushal had an exceptional outing with the ball as his figures read 2/23 (4)
Nepal, chasing the target for the fourth consecutive time, never seemed on course to reach the total in their last two games. Today, they fielded their best XI, but apart from their skipper, none of the other batters applied themselves to the conditions.
This Saturday will be Nepal’s final home game before the World Cup as they will fly to the West Indies for their second T20 World Cup after this series.
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