West Indies A recorded a thrilling 10-run win against Nepal in the second unofficial T20I to level the series on Sunday. Star spinner Gudakesh Motie shone with both bat and ball to help West Indies defend a 160 total at Kirtipur's Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground.
The veteran wicketkeeper Andre Fletcher top-scored with 43 runs off 36 balls and Motie added 33* off just 8 balls to help West Indies post a 160/7 total. Rohit Paudel played a captain's knock by smashing 71* off just 48 balls but the hosts fell 10 runs short after a late collapse in a tough chase.
After famously chasing down a 205-run target against a strong Caribbean side in the first unofficial T20I, Nepal produced another fighting display to show their rapid improvement ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024.
Paudel, who scored a match-winning century in the first game, Nepalese skipper played another sensational knock against a strong and well-known Caribbean bowling attack. But the 21-year-old batter didn't get much support from his teammates despite dominating the game for the majority of the time.
Meanwhile, West Indies A side struggled for a positive start with openers Johnson Charles and Alick Athanaze being dismissed by young left-arm spinner Sagar Dhakal. Nepalese bowlers produced greedy displays to keep the Caribbean big hitters quiet in the first 18 overs.
But Motie went ballistic in the last two overs to help West Indies scorch 41 runs. Motie registered two fours and four sixes to smash 33* runs at a remarkable strike rate of 412.50 as the visiting side posted a challenging total of 160/7 in 20 overs. Dhakal and Kushal Bhurtel took two wickets each while Sompal Kami and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed one each for Nepal.
Chasing a tough target, Nepal also struggled for a promising start again. Nepal lost their first four wickets inside powerplay overs but Paudel and Gulsan Jha's 33-run stand for the fifth wicket keep the hosts alive in the chase. Paudel kept the game balanced with another impressive fifty but Nepal struggled for big shots in death overs and were restricted to 150/9 in 20 overs.
