Mumbai: Nepal head coach Stuart Law said his team will prioritise effort over outcome when they face the West Indies in their third match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Nepal are seeking their first win of the tournament after back-to-back defeats. “We need to turn up tomorrow and put in a strong performance. I’m not focusing on the result. My focus is on the effort, both on and off the field,” said the Australian, whose side suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Italy after a spirited four-run defeat to England in their opener.

Unlike Nepal, the West Indies have made a commanding start, beating Scotland by 35 runs and England by 30 runs.

Nepal are now winless in six World T20 matches since twin wins in 2014 in Bangladesh. They failed to register a win in the 2024 edition as well, losing three matches while their fixture against Sri Lanka was washed out in the United States.

The West Indies, a two-time T20 World Cup champion (2012 and 2016), carry a formidable reputation in the shortest format. However, Nepal defeated them 2–1 in a three-match T20I series in Sharjah last year — the first bilateral series between Nepal and a Test-playing nation. That West Indies squad, however, featured several newcomers, with only Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein from the current lineup involved.

Hosein, speaking at the pre-match press conference on Saturday, said the Caribbean side would not take Nepal lightly.

“They defeated us in Sharjah, though most of our senior players weren’t there. Still, it’s a match we’re looking forward to,” said the left-arm spinner, who led the side during that series.

“We know what they are capable of from the last couple of games. At this level, there are no big or small teams — it’s about who plays the better cricket on the day. We’re treating it like any other World Cup match that we need to win,” he added.

Law admitted Nepal’s performance against Italy fell well below expectations.“It was the complete opposite of how we played against England. Italy outplayed us in all departments. We have to be much better against the West Indies. They showed their quality against England, and we know we must play exceptionally well to compete,” he said.

The coach also revealed that captain Rohit Paudel had been unwell. “He had a fever last night and some stomach issues. He’s taken medication and should be fine tomorrow.”

Nepal will need to contain a powerful West Indies batting line-up featuring captain Shai Hope, Sherfane Rutherford and Jason Holder. In the T20 format, however, any West Indies batter can prove dangerous.

“They love to play big shots — boundaries and sixes rather than rotating the strike,” said Law, who previously coached the West Indies for two years.

The Caribbean side also boast a potent bowling attack, including left-arm spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, along with pace bowler Romario Shepherd.