Mumbai: In a nail-biting contest that went down to the final ball, two-time World Champions England held their nerve to edge past Nepal by four runs, restricting them to 180/6 in 20 overs in their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Captain Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh built a strong partnership, followed by a late assault by Lokesh Ram, which helped Nepal come close to registering their first win in the T20 World Cup. However, Sam Curran bowled an excellent final over, defending 10 runs to guide England to victory in a thrilling encounter.
Coming to chase a mammoth total, Nepal were off to a good start as the opening duo of Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel scored at a ten-plus run rate against an experienced England bowling attack.
England got their breakthrough in the fourth over when Aasif (9) went down against Luke Wood, trying to play a sweep. His opening partner, Kushal, who was looking in great touch from the start, followed suit as the 29-year-old was sent back to the pavilion by Will Jacks, who took a brilliant catch off his own bowling in the final over of the Power-play.
After losing two early wickets, Nepal captain Rohit and Dipendra Singh forged a historic 82-run partnership against the two-time champions.
The duo targeted England’s premier spinner Adil Rashid, who went wicketless for 42 runs in the match. They rotated the strike consistently, putting pressure on the former champions.
England all-rounder Sam Curran finally broke the partnership in the 15th over when Dipendra failed to read the slower ball. He missed out on a well-deserved fifty by just six runs. Dipendra hammered six fours and one six during his 44-run knock, which came off just 29 balls.
Harry Brook’s team continued to build momentum as Liam Dawson dismissed skipper Paudel, who was feeling the pressure after Dipendra’s wicket. Paudel smashed 39 runs off 34 balls, which included two boundaries and two maximums.
As England searched for a top-quality finish, Lokesh fought till the end and smashed an unbeaten 39 off just 20 balls. He struck four boundaries and two sixes during his innings.
Liam Dawson was the highest wicket-taker for England, finishing with figures of 2-21, followed by Sam Curran, Luke Wood, Jofra Archer, and Will Jacks, who picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, top-order batter Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook struck fifties, while a strong finish by Will Jacks helped England post 184/7 in their 20 overs.
Coming in to bat first after winning the toss, England had a shaky start as opener Phil Salt, returning to the tournament after injury, was dismissed on the seventh ball of the innings for just one run.
Former captain Jos Buttler tried to steady the innings with a brisk 22 off 14 balls but was eventually sent back by Nandan Yadav in the fifth over.
After the poor start, Jacob Bethell, playing his first T20 World Cup match, forged a 71-run partnership with skipper Harry Brook, who was in great touch.
Both batters punished the loose deliveries while rotating the strike effectively, putting pressure on the opposition, who also missed a few run-out opportunities. Bethell scored 55 runs off just 35 balls, hammering four sixes and four boundaries during his innings.
Brook completed his fifty in 31 balls at the start of the 19th over but was caught by Sher Malla on the very next delivery. He scored 53 runs off 32 balls, hitting three sixes and four boundaries.
All-rounder Will Jacks provided England with a strong finish, scoring 39 runs off just 18 balls as the team posted a commanding total against Nepal.
Brief Scores:
England 184/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 55, Harry Brook 53, Will Jacks 39; Dipendra Singh Airee 2-23, Nandan Yadav 2-25) beat Nepal (Dipendra Singh Airee 44, Rohit Paudel 39, Lokesh Ram 39 not out; Liam Dawson 2-21, Will Jacks 1-17) by 5 runs.
(IANS)
