Nepal stun West Indies, secure historic win: Captain Rohit Paudel remembers martyrs of Gen Z protests

On September 27, Nepal created history in Sharjah by defeating the West Indies by 19 runs in their first-ever T20I meeting. This was Nepal’s first bilateral series against a Full Member nation.

A Full Member of the ICC is the top category of cricket nations. These countries can play Tests, ODIs and T20Is. Only Full Members can play official Test matches.

They also have full voting rights in ICC meetings. Most nations begin as Associates and are promoted after proving themselves. In 1909, England, Australia and South Africa became the first Full Members in cricket. Indian joined in 1926. The latest entries are Ireland and Afghanistan in 2017.

Batting first, Nepal scored 148/8 with skipper Rohit Paudel leading the way with 38 runs. He was supported by Kushal Malla’s 30 and Gulsan Jha’s 22. Jason Holder impressed for West Indies with 4/20. Navin Bidaisee impressed with 3/29.

In reply, the West Indies were restricted to 129/9 in 20 overs. Navin Bidaisee top-scored with 22 before getting out by Hit Wicket.

Kushal Bhurtel took 2/17 while Nandan Yadav (1/6) and Lalit Rajbanshi (1/6) chipped in with key wickets. Rohit Paudel was named Player of the Match for his all-round effort, scoring 38 and picking 1/20.

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel dedicated his award to the martyrs of the Gen Z protests.

"I want to dedicate this award to the martyrs who lost their lives in Gen Z protests in Nepal. The last one month has not been great for us. Slowly, we are getting better. So, if we can give a little bit of happiness to the people of Nepal, I think that would be great. I thought we had given a little (happiness)," Paudel said.

On September 14, India defeated Pakistan in their first Asia Cup 2025 encounter. Captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Nepal Gen Z protests

The Nepal Gen Z protests in September became one of the country’s biggest youth uprisings. The movement started after the government banned social media, which young people saw as an attack on free speech.

Soon, the protests grew, with anger over corruption, nepotism and lack of jobs. Many youths protested against politicians’ “Nepo Kids” living in luxury while unemployment stayed above 20%.

On September 8, thousands marched and clashed with police, leaving 19 dead. The next day, protesters stormed and burned government buildings, forcing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.

Over 70 people died in total. Former Chief Justice Sushila Karki became the interim PM. Fresh elections have been announced.

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