West Indies captain Shai Hope praised his side’s all‑round performance after they became the first team to secure a spot in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The regional side cruised to a nine‑wicket win over Nepal on Sunday, February 15, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
“It’s good to see everyone chipping in in different and various ways… it’s not the same person performing every game, so it’s a good sign from the team standpoint,” Hope said.
Having won the toss, the Windies tore apart the Nepalese top order, with the subcontinental side reeling at 27-4 after eight overs. The attack was led by veteran all-rounder Jason Holder, who finished with Man of the Match-winning figures of four wickets for 29 runs.
Nepal recovered somewhat through Dipendra Singh Airee, who played the role of crisis manager, scoring a well-constructed 58 runs off 47 deliveries given his team’s dire circumstances. Airee pulled his team to an unlikely 133-8, a score well below par for the venue.
The West Indies discipline also shone through Matthew Forde, who delivered a remarkable spell of 1 for 10 in his four overs.
The Men in Maroon made light work of the chase, beginning with a 43-run opening stand between Hope and Brandon King. Once King was dismissed for 22, Shimron Hetmyer, the leading tournament run scorer for the West Indies, and Hope put together an unbeaten 91-run partnership off 59 balls, guiding the team home. Hope finished with 61, and Hetmyer 46.
Man of the Match Holder spoke about the conditions, which were dominated by West Indies medium pacers, compared to their previous win when the spinners were key.
“It was a different game, obviously a day game. I thought the ball did a little bit more and held in the surface up front, making it more difficult to hit through the line,” Holder said. “We were able to get better movement, which was key. I also thought our bowlers bowled a really tight line to them, which was essential for our execution. Credit not only to me but to Matthew [Forde] as well; I thought he bowled an outstanding spell up front to set the tone, and we were able to adjust from there.”
The Windies march into the next stage of the tournament with one game to spare, a fixture against Italy scheduled for Thursday at Eden Gardens.
