Fletcher, who had scored 53 against the hosts on Wednesday, continued his rich vein of form with a scintillating knock of 84 not out from just 54 balls, including nine fours and four sixes. His explosive innings, coupled with Johnson Charles' brisk 58 off 30 balls, propelled the visitors to a formidable total of 209-3 in their allotted 20 overs. The duo shared a pivotal second-wicket partnership of 92 runs in less than nine overs to lay a solid foundation for their team.
Charles, coming off an unbeaten 119 in the previous match, played another impactful cameo, striking three fours and six sixes before his departure. Fabian Allen contributed a quick-fire 33 not out from 19 balls and with Fletcher shared in an unbroken stand of 83, to boost West Indies A beyond the 200-run mark for the second consecutive game.
The Nepalese bowlers struggled to contain the West Indies batsmen, with Kushal Bhurtel being the most successful among them, claiming 2-23 from his four overs.
In response, Nepal's chase was anchored by a valiant effort from their captain, Rohit Paudel, who blazed his way to 82 off just 47 deliveries, featuring seven fours and five sixes. However, Paudel lacked substantial support from his teammates as Nepal faltered and eventually folded for 181.
Apart from Paudel, Sundeep Jora, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Gulsan Jha contributed 19 each but failed to capitalize on their starts against a disciplined West Indies bowling attack. Matthew Forde and Hayden Walsh Jr starred with the ball, claiming three wickets each, while Fabian Allen chipped in with 2-34. Gudakesh Motie, despite being expensive, managed to pick up two crucial wickets.
With this victory, West Indies A have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series, setting the stage for the final match scheduled to be played on Saturday. The dominant display by the tourists bodes well for their confidence heading into the final encounter and also ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, with Cricket West Indies set to announce their squad for the tournament on June 1.
Just two days on from their agonising one-run loss to South Africa, Nepal had another high-profile side on the ropes as Bangladesh were skittled for just 106.
No Bangladesh player made more than Shakib Al Hasan's 17 runs as Dipendra Singh Airee (2-22), Rohit Paudel (2-20) and Sandeep Lamichhane (2-17) all impressed with the ball.
However, a blistering opening spell from Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who finished with career-best T20I figures of 4-7 – ensured that measly figure was enough.
Tanzim got the ball rolling by dismissing Kushal Bhurtel and Anil Sah within three third-over deliveries, then had Paudel and Sundeep Jora caught as Nepal fell to 26-5.
Kushal Malla steadied the ship somewhat, but his match-high 27 runs came off 40 deliveries as Mustafizur Rahman (3-7) and Shakib (2-9) bowled efficiently, the former's ball accounting for his dismissal as he looped a shot to Najmul Hossain Shanto at mid off.
Nepal went into the final over needing 22 to see a spirited performance rewarded with a victory, but their final two wickets fell from the first two balls as Bangladesh clinched second place in Group D, behind South Africa.
That result ended the Netherlands' hopes of progression, and their tournament ended with a whimper as they suffered an 81-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Kingstown.
Sri Lanka set a daunting target of 202 – the joint-highest of the tournament to date, alongside Australia versus England – with Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka making 46 runs apiece, the latter hitting five sixes off 21 balls.
The demoralised Dutch fell well short in their chase and were all out for 118 with three overs remaining, Nuwan Thushara helping himself to a hat-trick for Sri Lanka.
Data Debrief: Paltry total enough for Bangladesh
Bangladesh supporters might have been twitchy when they limped to just 106 against a Nepal team who have threatened an upset repeatedly at this tournament, but some composed bowling ensured it was enough.
Their tally of 106 runs was the lowest to ever be successfully defended at a T20 World Cup.
Set a formidable 204 by West Indies A, Nepal’s thrilling victory, which was set up by a captain’s knock from Rohit Paudel, etched their names in the history books, as they successfully got to their target at 206-6 with two balls to spare.
Paudel smashed a 54-ball 112, including 10 fours and two sixes to see his team to a 1-0 lead in the series, which West Indies Head coach Darren Sammy said offers his team a chance to define roles and personnel more clearly for their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad.
However, the Caribbean side’s all-round effort was found wanting, as only captain Roston Chase (74), Alick Athanaze (47) and Keacy Carty (38) offered any resistance with the bat, while only Obed McCoy (2-34) and Matthew Forde (2-49) had some semblance of success with the ball.
Scores: West Indies A 204-5 (20 overs); Nepal 206-6 (19.4 overs)
Asked to take first strike, after losing the toss, West Indies A suffered an early blow, as they lost Johnson Charles (zero) off the last ball of the opening over, with 16 runs on the board. Andre Fletcher (13) stuck two sixes off five balls, before he too departed via the run-out route, leaving West Indies A at 43-2 in the fourth over.
However, Athanaze went about business, striking three sixes and five fours in a 25-ball knock, as he put on 43 for the third wicket with Chase, prior to his demise. From there, Chase and Carty added another 60 runs in a fourth-wicket stand that defined the innings.
Carty’s 38 off 26 balls, included two fours and three sixes, while Chase, who anchored the innings with a captain’s knock, struck nine fours and two sixes in his 46-ball 74. Kadeem Alleyne, on 14, and Keemo Paul, one, were left not out.
No Nepal bowler took more than one wicket.
With runs on the board, West Indies A would have felt confident of wrapping up a win, even more so, after Forde and McCoy combined to remove openers Anil Sah (five) and Kushal Bhurtel (16) to have Nepal at 38-2 in the fifth over.
West Indies remained in the ascendancy when Fletcher and Charles combined to run out Kushal Malla (16), leaving their host on the ropes at 82-3 at the halfway mark.
However, Paudel showed class, in not only reviving his team’s innings, but pushed them all the way with some aggressive stroke play, assisted by wayward bowling from West Indies A attack at times. Dipendra Singh Airee (24) offered support to his captain in getting Nepal across the line for a famous victory.
The 40-year-old left-handed ball beater was expected to be the tournament’s biggest star, but things were put on hold due to the effects of the global coronavirus pandemic. The organisers of the competition are yet to determine the best date for a possible restart but insist the securing the services of Gayle and other overseas players remain very much on the cards.
“Of course the availability dates for Chris Gayle and other foreign players shall be considered, and shall be put on priority,” said Aamir Akhtar, the league’s managing director.
“We would love to have him in EPL if everything works out. He has a huge fan following in Nepal.”
In January Gayle announced he had signed for Pokhara Rhinos for the fourth season of the Twenty20 competition in Kathmandu. The West Indian was heading an impressive list of overseas players bound for the competition, with the likes of Mohammed Shahzad, Paul Stirling , Kevin O’Brien, Upul Tharanga and Corey Anderson all due to feature.
The tournament was postponed shortly before its scheduled March 14 start date because of the situation surrounding Covid-19.
After being put in to bat, the Windies amassed 339-7 from their 50 overs thanks to classy hundreds from Captain, Shai Hope (132) and Nicholas Pooran (115).
They then restricted Nepal to 238 all out in 49.4 overs with Jason Holder (3-34) leading the way with the ball.
Pooran spoke about his knock in a post-match interview.
“It was one that the team needed. I’m happy that I was there to contribute and raise both hands at the end,” Pooran said about his knock which came off just 94 balls and included 10 fours and four sixes.
Pooran joined Hope, at the crease with the West Indian reeling at 55-3 in the 16th over and the pair then combined to put on an excellent 216-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
Only Shivnarine Chanderpaul and current assistant coach, Carl Hooper, have had a higher fourth wicket partnership on ODIs for the West Indies. The pair put on 226 against South Africa in East London in 1999.
The partnership also put the pair tenth on the all-time fourth wicket partnerships list in ODIs.
Pooran also heaped praise on his Captain whose 132 came off 129 balls and included 10 fours and three sixes.
“For the last couple years, Shai has been that batsman in ODI cricket for us and we depend on him heavily. He knows that and everyone knows that and I’m happy that he’s there performing when we need him the most,” Pooran said.
The West Indies scored 339-7 despite only getting 33 runs from their top three. Pooran believes this shows the potential of this team with the bat.
“There’s a lot of potential on our team but, in saying that, we don’t have much time in this tournament. We need to put words into action and we need guys to put their hands up for the team. That’s the only way we’re going to move forward,” he said.
With this win, the West Indies join hosts, Zimbabwe, with two wins from as many games and the pair will do battle on Saturday.
“Saturday’s going to be important for both teams. We’re going to recover tomorrow, turn up on Saturday and hopefully we can play our best game and continue to move on in this tournament,” he said.
Pooran also reiterated the importance of these qualifiers for the West Indies.
“It’s very serious, not only to us, but to the people in the Caribbean. We need to qualify, there’s no doubt about it and we know that as players and we’re trying our best to put things in place,” he said.
Hope scored 132 and Pooran 115 as the West Indies recovered from 55-3 to post their highest score so far in search of their second win in the qualifiers.
After being sent in to bat, West Indies lost the wickets of Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles for one and nought, respectively, with only nine runs on the board in the fifth over.
However, Hope and Brandon King stabilized the situation somewhat before King was bowled by Sandeep Lamicchane for 32 to have the West Indies in trouble on 55-3.
Hope and Pooran turned things around with a fourth-wicket partnership of 216 that put the West Indies in command. Hope got to his 50 in 73 balls and included five fours and a six as the West Indies wrested back control of proceedings.
Pooran, meanwhile, was more efficient, smashing three fours and a six in his 50 that came from just 51 balls.
As the pair exerted their dominance on Nepal’s bowlers, the 100 partnership came up in 94 balls. It took them 32 additional deliveries to bring up the 150-run partnership with Pooran being the dominant partner with 83 of those crucial runs. Hope’s contribution was 66 as the West Indies picked up momentum to push the scoring rate above six runs an over.
Hope got to his 15th ODI hundred from just 107 balls with Pooran’s second ODI ton coming off just 81 balls and included nine fours and four sixes.
The 200-run partnership was achieved in just 159 balls as the Caribbean men eyed a score of 350.
The partnership was broken in the 44th over when Pooran was dismissed, out caught and bowled by Dipendra Singh Airee for 115.
Rovman Powell added a quick-fire 29 from just 14 balls as the West Indies past 300 runs.
The West Indies lost two wickets in the 50th over bowled by Lalit Rajbanshi. Hope was caught by Bhim Sharki at long off for a magnificent 132 and Keemo Paul was bowled off the final ball of the innings leaving Jason Holder unbeaten on 16.
Rajbanshi was the best of the Nepalese bowlers with 3-52.
Charles's explosive innings included 13 fours and seven sixes as he anchored the West Indies A innings, propelling them to a formidable total of 227-3 against the hosts. His half-century came in a blistering 24 balls, setting the stage for a dominant performance. Charles formed a crucial second-wicket partnership of 145 runs with Andre Fletcher (53), after Alick Athanaze was run out for 17.
Fletcher's innings featured four fours and three sixes before he departed in the 16th over. Contributions from Fabian Allen (19 from nine balls) and Keemo Paul (13 from seven) further bolstered the West Indies A total, which marked the highest score by the tourists in the series so far.
In response, Nepal faced an uphill battle chasing more than 11 runs per over for victory and struggled under scoreboard pressure, losing wickets at regular intervals. Opener Lokesh Bam and Karan both managed 28 runs, while Kushal Malla contributed 20. However, Nepal ultimately collapsed to 151 all out in 19.2 overs.
Hayden Walsh Jr led the bowling attack for West Indies A with impressive figures of 3-28, while Gudakesh Motie provided valuable support with 2-28. Fabian Allen, Matthew Forde, and Obed McCoy also chipped in with a wicket each as the West Indies comfortably secured a pivotal series lead.
Johnson Charles' heroic innings and the collective effort from the West Indies A bowlers have positioned the team favorably as they head towards the remaining matches of the series, aiming to clinch the series victory against Nepal.
Batting first, West Indies A faced early setbacks but rallied behind Andre Fletcher's resilient 43 and Captain Roston Chase's 23. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving the team in a precarious position at 115 for 7. When Fletcher departed, the onus fell on Motie to provide a late surge. With only 13 balls remaining, Motie unleashed a blitz, smashing two fours and four sixes to power his team to a competitive total of 160 for 7. Matthew Forde contributed with an unbeaten 11 as Sagar Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel each picked up crucial wickets for Nepal.
In response, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel led the charge with a magnificent 71 off 48 balls, keeping his team in contention. However, Nepal's batting struggled against the West Indies A bowling attack, with only Gulsan Jha offering notable support with 26 runs. Motie continued to make an impact with the ball, claiming 2 crucial wickets for 244 runs alongside Obed McCoy, who showed signs of returning to form with his 2 for 24.
Despite Paudel's heroics, Nepal fell short in their chase, ultimately conceding victory to West Indies A by 10 runs. Motie's exceptional performance earned him the Player of the Match award.
The third match in the series is set for Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
The match was initially delayed by an hour following the toss before Scotland came out to bat, racing to 59-0 during the powerplay, including a six from Michael Jones that smashed a solar panel, before the wet weather halted proceedings once more.
In what then became a reduced-overs match, Scotland looked sharp, as Jones’ 45 not out and George Munsey’s 41 not out meant they finished their 10 overs on 90-0, setting England a target of 109 to chase in their innings due to the DLS method.
However, more heavy rain made it impossible for the game to continue, and it was eventually called off with England and Scotland taking a point apiece from their opener, leaving them sitting behind early Group B leaders Namibia.
Next up for England is Australia on Saturday, while Scotland will play Oman on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Netherlands edged to a six-wicket victory over Nepal thanks to Tim Pringle and Logan van Beek's bowling in Dallas.
None of the Netherlands bowlers went for more than a run a ball, with Pringle (3-20) and Van Beek (3-18) the standouts as Nepal finished on 106 all out.
Max O’Dowd's 54 not out got Netherlands over the halfway point in their chase as they comfortably earned a win to take them second in Group D.
Nepal's return to World Cup action after a 10-year absence did not go to plan, but they will be looking to bounce back against Sri Lanka next Wednesday. Netherlands play South Africa on Saturday.
Nepal looked on the verge of a shock victory, needing two from the final ball to secure the win. However, Ghulsan Jha was run out at the non-striker's end as South Africa came through unscathed to make it four wins from four at the tournament.
Despite Ottniel Baartman bowling the final over, it was Shamsi's 4-19 that proved crucial in South Africa getting over the line, including two wickets in the 18th over to turn the game back in his team's favour.
The spinner was thankful South Africa avoided an unlikely defeat, telling reporters: "[I am] definitely relieved.
"The team is standing up to the pressure and that's great to see."
Proteas captain Aiden Markram praised the efforts of Nepal, whose narrow defeat means they are eliminated from the competition with one game to spare in Group D.
"You have to give Nepal a lot of credit," Markram said. "Throughout the game they put us under a lot of pressure, and it shows the quality they have."
While Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel was disappointed in the defeat, he also took pride in how his team fared against one of the tournament favourites.
"I'm very proud of the unit, the way we bowled and batted," Paudel stated. "We were very close but a little far."
Having set the Nepalese a winning target of 340, West Indies bowlers, not helped by a several dropped catches, combined to restrict their opponents for 238 and achieve their second win from as many games in the ICC World Cup qualifiers.
Aarif Sheikh was the top scorer with 63 for the Nepalese team, who also got contributions of 42 from Gulsan Jha and 30 from Captain Rohit Paudel.
Jason Holder was the best of the bowlers with 3-43 from his 10 overs with Akeal Hosein 2-49 and Keemo Paul 2-63.
Nepal were fortunate not to have been dismissed for much less as the West Indies spilled several catches in the field. Alzarri Joseph suffered the most with three catches dropped off his bowling as he finished with figures of 2-45.
Earlier, having been sent to bat, West Indies recovered from a poor start that saw them lose two wickets with only nine runs on the board to score 339-7.
Shai Hope scored 132, his 15th ODI century while Nicholas Pooran scored 115. The Caribbean men also got useful scores of 32 from Brandon King and Rovman Powell 29.
Lalit Rajbanshi was the best of the Nepalese bowlers with 3-52.
Hope said he was happy to have been able to overcome some early challenges and the loss of two early wickets to score an important 100 for his team.
“I believe the rhythm was a bit off. I am just happy that I came good for the team. We were put on the backfoot there...happy to get the team over the line today. The key was absorbing as much pressure as possible and then find a way to transfer that pressure in the back end,” he said, revealing that Pooran’s arrival of the crease helped him turn things around.
“Pooran made it a lot easier for me. The aim was to take it as deep as possible give us the best chance towards the end. I don't think I hit the targets where I wanted to but happy to just bat as deep as I possibly could there. The team really needed me. They bowled well, must commend their bowlers, especially their spinners, they stuck to their task well.
“We batted well in that period to overcome their spin threat. There's obviously room for improvement, so we need to make sure we are ticking those boxes going into the next game.”
With the win the West Indies go top of Group A with four points from their two matches to date.
Sompal Kami knew that two runs from the final ball of the match would secure an unlikely triumph, but batting partner Ghulsan Jha was run out at the non-striker's end to conclude their first meeting in international cricket.
South Africa were restricted to 115-7 with opener Reeza Hendricks producing 43 runs from 49 balls, ultimately handing the initiative to their opponents to keep their Super 8s hopes alive.
Nepal would last until the eighth over before losing Kushal Bhurtel and Rohit Paudel in three balls, but the Rhinos would steady the ship, leading to a nail-biting finish.
However, Tabraiz Shamsi (4-19) struck twice in a game-changing 18th over, aided by Ottniel Baartman denying seven runs in the final over to decide the tie.
South Africa face the United States in Antigua on June 19, while Nepal search for their first win of the tournament as they take on Bangladesh in their final Group D game.
Meanwhile, New Zealand secured their first win of their T20 World Cup campaign with relative ease, beating Uganda by nine wickets at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The Black Caps exit from the tournament had already been confirmed following Afghanistan's seven-wicket triumph over Papua New Guinea, exiting a World Cup before the last four for the first time since 2014.
Trent Boult dictated the early pace of the encounter, taking two wickets inside the first over as their opponents quickly saw five wickets fall for just 15 runs.
Kenneth Waiswa was the only batter for the Cricket Cranes to reach double figures, as wickets from Tim Southee (3-4) and Mitchell Santer (2-8) in successive balls saw Uganda all out for 40.
Kane Williamson's side faced just 33 balls on their way to victory, as Devon Conway scored an unbeaten 22 from 15 balls to win the contest ahead of their final Group C fixture against the Barramundis.
Leg-spinner Zampa took 4-12 to reach a century of wickets in the shortest format, as Namibia were bowled out for just 72 in 17 overs in Antigua.
Australia needed just 34 balls to surpass that total, with Travis Head's unbeaten 34 from 17 deliveries propelling them to a comprehensive win.
David Warner (20) was the only Australian to lose his wicket, with captain Mitchell Marsh (18 not out) hitting the winning runs.
Australia are now top of Group B ahead of facing surprise package Scotland on Sunday.
Tuesday's other match, between Sri Lanka and Nepal, was called off due to rain without a ball having been bowled.
The abandonment of that match in Florida means that Sri Lanka's hopes of qualifying for the next round are all but over.
Sri Lanka are bottom of Group D with just one match left to play, against the Netherlands on Monday.
Data Debrief: Zampa makes history
Zampa is the first Australian to reach the century landmark for wickets in T20Is, while his 12 runs conceded against Namibia is the joint-lowest total of any player for Australia from a full four overs in a T20 World Cup match.
Gerhard Erasmus was the only player to impress for Namibia. He scored 36 runs, 50 per cent of his team's total.
That is the highest proportion of any batter in a Namibia T20 World Cup innings.
