Nepal started their USA tour with a victory, winning the first match of the three-match T20 International series against the United States. This was the first-ever T20I encounter between Nepal and the USA.
In the match held at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, the USA fell short of Nepal’s target of 165 runs, managing only 147/7 in 20 overs. Nepal secured a 17-run victory.
For the USA, Shayan Jahangir played a resilient unbeaten half-century, scoring 60 off 34 balls with six fours and two sixes, but it wasn’t enough to steer his team to victory. Other contributions came from Andries Gous (30), Milind Kumar (22), and Jasdeep Singh (16).
The USA had a shaky start, losing four wickets for 56 runs. Shayan and Milind Kumar formed a 38-run partnership for the fifth wicket to stabilize the innings, but Nepal kept up the pressure with regular breakthroughs.
Nepal’s bowling was led by Dipendra Singh Airee, who took 3 wickets for 27 runs in 3 overs. Karan KC, Gulsan Jha, and Rejan Dhakal each grabbed a wicket, while Nepal also claimed one wicket through a run-out.
Earlier, Nepal, after being put into bat, scored 164/9 in their 20 overs.
Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel top-scored with 49 off 33 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six. Dipendra Singh Airee chipped in with 28 off 17 balls, including two fours and a six. Openers Anil Sah and Aasif Sheikh contributed 27 runs each. Anil hit 2 fours and 1 six off 18 balls, while Aasif struck 4 fours in his 27-ball innings. Gulshan Jha added 11 runs, and Kushal Bhurtel managed 13.
Nepal got off to a solid start, with openers Anil Sah and Aasif Sheikh putting on 48 runs. Anil was dismissed LBW by Ali Khan in the sixth over. Aasif and Kushal then added 21 runs for the second wicket before Aasif was out in the 10th over, followed by Kushal in the 11th. Gulsan Jha couldn’t last long at the crease either. Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee revived the innings with a 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket. However, after Dipendra’s dismissal in the 19th over, Nepal lost four wickets in the final seven balls of the innings.
For the USA, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jasdeep Singh, and Harmeet Singh took 2 wickets each, while Ali Khan and Nosthush Kenjige claimed one apiece.
The remaining two matches of the series will be played on October 20 and 21, starting at 5:45 AM Nepali time. Following this Nepal will compete in a triangular ODI series against the USA and Scotland, scheduled from October 25 to November 4 under ICC World Cup League-2 series.
