Mumbai: Nepal’s winless campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup continued as they slumped to a nine-wicket defeat against West Indies and became the first side to crash out from Group ‘C’ at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Asked to bat first, Nepal posted 133-8, anchored by Dipendra Singh Airee’s 58 off 47 balls. In reply, West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs, powered by an unbeaten 91-run stand between captain Shai Hope (61 off 44) and Shimron Hetmyer (46 off 32).

The victory sealed West Indies’ place in the Super 8 with a game to spare, taking them to six points from three matches and the top of the group. Nepal, yet to open their account after defeats to England and Italy, were eliminated ahead of their final fixture against Scotland.

Nepal’s batting struggles continue

Apart from Airee’s fighting half-century, Nepal’s batting once again faltered. Openers Kushal Bhurtel (1) and Aasif Sheikh (11), skipper Rohit Paudel (5) and Aarif Sheikh (2) fell cheaply as wickets tumbled in clusters.

Sompal Kami (not out 26 off 15), Lokesh Bam (13) and Gulshan Jha (11) were the only other batters to reach double figures. Nepal had also been bowled out for 123 against Italy in their previous match.

Airee shared a crucial 54-run seventh-wicket partnership with Sompal, accelerating late with 16 and 18 runs coming in the 18th and 19th overs. He struck three fours and three sixes before falling in the final over. Sompal remained unbeaten, hitting four boundaries.

Jason Holder was the standout bowler for West Indies, returning 4-27 from his four overs.

At the post-match press conference, Sompal admitted batting remains a concern. “If you want to win, you have to put good runs on the board. We are not performing well as a batting unit. At this level, if you don’t play well, you won’t survive,” he said.

Sompal also achieved a milestone, becoming the only Nepali cricketer to feature in all three of Nepal’s T20 World Cup appearances — 2014 (Bangladesh), 2024 (USA and West Indies) and the current edition.

Comfortable chase

West Indies made light work of the target. Hope struck five fours and three sixes in his unbeaten knock, while Hetmyer added four boundaries and two sixes. Brandon King chipped in with 22.

Nandan Yadav claimed the lone wicket for Nepal, while Sandeep Lamichhane, Dipendra Airee, Sompal and Karan KC went wicketless.

Social media distraction

Sompal suggested social media could be a distraction for young players, echoing coach Stuart Law’s earlier criticism.

“Whenever players perform well, they read good comments. But sport is not the same every day. The same person who praises you can criticise you the next day. It’s better to stay away,” Sompal said, adding that he does not use social media.

Law had earlier said excessive focus on social media diverts attention from cricket and urged players to prioritise their game.

Previous meeting

Nepal had defeated West Indies 2–1 in a bilateral T20I series in Sharjah last year. However, the West Indies squad featured several new faces, with only Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein from the current line-up involved.