West Indies secure their Super Eights spot with a dominant nine-wicket win over Nepal, led by Shai Hope’s unbeaten 61.

MUMBAI: The West Indies became the first team to qualify for the Super Eights phase of the T20 World Cup. They cruised to a nine-wicket victory against Nepal on Sunday.

Captain Shai Hope’s unbeaten 61 guided his team to their target of 134. The West Indies reached 134-1 in just 15.2 overs at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium.

Hope reached his fifty off 38 balls, hitting three sixes and five fours. He shared an unbroken 91-run partnership with Shimron Hetmyer, who finished 46 not out.

After winning the toss and choosing to field, the West Indies bowlers dominated. Matthew Forde bowled a magnificent spell of 1-10 from his four overs, removing Nepal captain Rohit Paudel for five.

Nepal collapsed to 22-3 in the powerplay and were 46-5 in the 11th over. Jason Holder took 4-27 from his four overs to dismantle the middle order.

Dipendra Singh Airee’s 58 pushed Nepal past 100. He shared a 54-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Sompal Kami, who finished 26 not out.

The result eliminates Nepal from the tournament. They cannot progress further in this year’s T20 World Cup.

 The Sun Malaysia