Mumbai, Feb 15 (IANS) Nepal captain Rohit Paudel admitted his side fell short as a batting unit after their nine-wicket defeat to West Indies ended their campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Nepal posted 133/8 after recovering from 22/3 in the powerplay, but the total proved insufficient as the West Indies chased it down in just 15.2 overs to book their place in the Super Eights.

Reflecting on the early damage inflicted by the Caribbean seamers, Paudel acknowledged the challenge posed by the new-ball spell.

“It was a challenge, especially the way Forde, Akeal and Jason were bowling in the powerplay. I think they were using the conditions really well. And it was a challenge, but I think as a batting unit, we again failed. So as a batting unit, we need to step up, I think,” Paudel said after the game.

Nepal once again struggled to convert starts into substantial contributions, a trend Paudel identified as a key concern following consecutive below-par totals.

“We are missing on the batting partnerships. We are lacking in that. Especially, we are getting the partnerships of 20-30s, but we are not stretching it. And as a batsman, I think, whoever is getting 20-30s, we are not converting it into the big ones. So I think that are the areas where as a batting unit, we need to step up.”

The captain pointed to Dipendra Singh Airee’s composed 58 off 47 balls as an example of the patience and adaptability required on a tricky surface. Airee rebuilt the innings before accelerating late, lifting Nepal past the 130-mark.

“He took his time and he played really well. Especially at the end of the innings, he accelerated his innings. But eventually, in the start of the innings, the wicket was very difficult, but still he managed to wait for his time and when he got his opportunity, he cashed in. So I think from him, we need to learn that.”

Despite the spirited middle-order resistance and a late flourish that gave Nepal a defendable total, West Indies’ clinical chase, led by Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, left the associate side with no margin for error.

With elimination confirmed, Paudel also addressed the importance of shielding the squad from external pressure as they look to regroup beyond the tournament.

“I think keeping outside noise outside is very important. If you keep listening to outside noise, it will be hard for all the players to perform in the next match. So we are keeping it outside and when the team is losing, it is very important to keep everyone very positive and we are trying to do that.”

–IANS

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