Johnson Charles (119*) powers Windies 'A' past Nepal in 3rd T20

OPENING batsman Johnson Charles struck a career-best 119 not out as he led the West Indies 'A' team to a convincing 76-run victory in the third match of their five-match Twenty/20 series versus Nepal at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground, Kirtipur on May 1.

With West Indies' International Cricket Council (ICC) men's T20 World Cup squad still unnamed heading into May 1's deadline day, the right-handed Charles gave coach Daren Sammy a reminder of his hitting ability as he led the Windies team to a mammoth 227 for three in their turn at the crease. Spinners Gudakesh Motie and Hayden Walsh then accounted for five of Nepal's wickets as the hosts were bowled out for 151 in the final over of the game, handing the West Indies the comfortable win.

The 35-year-old Charles, who was a member of West Indies' T20 World Cup-winning teams in 2012 and 2016, was particularly savage against the spinners and he cleared the straight boundaries with regularity during his onslaught. Charles hit a total of 13 fours and seven sixes in his 61-ball knock, and he got to his fourth T20 ton off 55 balls in the 17th over.

After a promising start to the West Indies innings, Charles lost opening partner Alick Athanaze (17 off ten balls) via the run out route after a mixup between the two batsmen. The Caribbean team were 27 for one in the fourth over at that stage, but a 145-run partnership for the second wicket between Charles and fellow veteran Andre Fletcher saw the visitors taking full control of proceedings.

Fletcher, 36, hit four boundaries and three sixes in his breezy innings as he blazed his way to 53 off 33 balls before being caught on the long-on boundary. The Windies were well-placed on 172 for two in the 16th over after Fletcher's departure, and allrounders Fabian Allen (19 off nine balls) and Keemo Paul (13 not out) then played handy cameos to support the centurion Charles as the visitors made a healthy 54 runs off the last four overs to get a grandstand finish.

The hosts got off to a decent start in the power play thanks to a 36-run stand between openers Binod Bhandari (19) and Lokesh Bam (28). However, once Allen sent Bhandari back to the pavilion at the end of the fourth over, the West Indies spinners turned the game firmly in their favour. Allen was the most economical bowler, as he returned figures of one for two from his four overs, while Motie (two for 28) and Walsh (three for 28) were the chief destroyers as the hosts' pursuit of 228 never got off the ground.

Lower-order batsman Karan KC (28 off 17 balls) hit a flurry of boundaries toward the back end, but the West Indies marched to the facile win to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

The fourth T20 will be played at the Kirtipur venue on May 2, while the series will conclude on Saturday.

Summarised Scores:

WEST INDIES: 227/3 (Johnson Charles 119 not out, Andre Fletcher 53; Sagar Dhakal 1/41) vs NEPAL: 151 from 19.2 overs (Karan KC 28, Lokesh Bam 28; Hayden Walsh Jr 3/28, Gudakesh Motie 2/28). West Indies won by 76 runs.