T20 World Cup: West Indies seal Super 8 spot with Nepal rout
Published:Sunday | February 15, 2026 | 12:57 PM
West Indies notched its third straight win in Group C of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, thumping Nepal by nine wickets in Mumbai to secure a place in the Super 8 stage of the competition.
West Indies had already beaten Scotland and England to take command of the group.
Fast bowler Jason Holder grabbed 4-27 to restrict Nepal to 133-8 after captain Shai Hope won the toss and elected to field. Hope then smashed an unbeaten 61 off 44 balls and Shimron Hetmyer scored 46 off 32 deliveries as West Indies cruised to 134-1 in 15.2 overs.
Nepal had stuttered to 6-73 in 15 overs but Dipendra Singh Airee (58) and Sompal Kami (26 not out) shared a 54-run stand in the death overs to lift the total.
Nepal, which had earlier lost narrowly to England before heavy defeats to first-timer Italy and West Indies, was eliminated.
United States, which lost to both India and Pakistan before beating the Netherlands, faces Namibia in its final Group A game later Sunday.
Meanwhile, the most-anticipated game of the tournament is expected to draw more than a billion viewers when India take on archrivals Pakistan in Colombo.
Political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations have often spilled onto the cricket field. Sunday’s encounter will be their first meeting since last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates, won by India, where players refused to shake hands.
In the lead-up to the contest, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they would shake hands before and after the match.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav was non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government had threatened a boycott after the International Cricket Council removed Bangladesh from the tournament for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan eventually agreed to participate following discussions with the ICC. The fixture is the governing body’s major revenue earner.
Tensions peaked during the Asia Cup when Suryakumar declined to shake hands with Agha. Heated exchanges followed, and Suryakumar and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf were fined for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct.
India went on to win that tournament but refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
India have not toured Pakistan since 2008. Pakistan travelled to India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but have since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India have beaten Pakistan 12 times in 16 T20 meetings and hold a 6-1 record in eight T20 World Cup clashes since 2007, with one tied.
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