England, the two-time world champions, escaped a huge scare against a doughty Nepal in their Group C match at the T20 World Cup, defeating them by four runs in a tense finale to their opening match here on Sunday.
Author: Aditya Pareek | EQMint
NEP vs ENG T20 WC 2026 turned into an instant classic as England narrowly escaped a historic upset, defeating Nepal by four runs in a thrilling Group C .The high-voltage match at the Wankhede Stadium saw Nepal push the two-time world champions to the brink, making the clash one of the most talked-about games of the tournament.”
Nepal were close to making history, almost snuffing one of the teams to beat in the competition, scoring 180/6 against 184/7 against England.
Lokesh Bam (39 not out of 20 balls) kept Nepal in the hunt for an upset win, but could not win the game in the final over after a heroic effort.
Nepal couldn’t find a boundary, needing 10 runs off the last over, as their inspired show with the bat fell short. Sam Curran batted his yorkers hard as Nepal could only go five runs.
Yet more than 17,000 fans filled the iconic Wankhede Stadium, and Nepal weighed in at a far higher level than ever, most of whom were from the Himalayas.
Nepal’s Brave Fight Falls Short
Skipper Rohit Paudel, 39, Dipendra Singh Airee, 39, Kushal Bhurtel, 29 and Lokesh, who broke four boundaries and two sixes in a late assault, fought hard but could not win the line.
Lokesh went hammer and tongs when Nepal’s backs were against the wall, hitting two sixes off Jofra Archer’s 18th over and two consecutive fours off Luke Wood’s penultimate over when they needed 46 runs off the last three overs.
Bhurtel had provided early fireworks, and a strong 82-run stand for the third wicket between Paudel and Airee consolidated Nepal.
Even as Nepal lost an early wicket to Aasif Sheikh (7), Bhurtel hit a 17-ball 29 with four boundaries and six to set the tone.
But his best start came to an end awry when Bhurtel could not hold it down and just caught Will Jacks in the sixth over.
In the 14th over, Paudel gave Nepal’s run-chase an impetus, knocking the senior England bowler Rashid Khan into the stands for a six and pulling the second ball down with force through covers for four.
Paudel then had the ‘shot of the match’, hitting the perfect switch-hit, middling the ball, which went sailing over the fielder at deep square leg.
But a drinks break wrecked the momentum Airee and Paudel were having, with the former hitting one off Sam Curran in the 15th over.
NEP vs ENG T20 WC 2026: Nepal’s Brave Fight Falls Short at Wankhede
Soon thereafter, Paudel went out when he smashed one straight to Phil Salt at deep midwicket off Liam Dawson after a fine knock that raised Nepal’s hopes.
Jacob Bethell (55) and Harry Brook (53) had earlier beaten the attacking fifties to lead England to a colossal 184 for seven.
Bethell, a young left-handed right-hander, was a fine example of himself on his T20 World Cup debut in front of partisans with his rapid half-century of 35 balls with four sixes and as many fours, while skipper Brook returned among runs to try and change the story behind him.
Brook lost with a vital knock from 32 balls with four sixes and three fours, and managed a 71-run stand for the fourth wicket with Bethell as Nepal bowlers took a tough challenge.
Sher Malla was so happy when Phil Salt (1) was caught on the first ball of his second over, and Nandan Yadav took the key wicket of Jos Buttler (26), just as he was rebuilding with Bethell.
Yadav bowled one outside off to have Buttler caught behind for Nepal’s second wicket in the fifth over, and the third came in the seventh over when spinner Sandeep Lamichhane had Tom Banton trapped leg-before while trying to reverse sweep.
England scored 45 runs in the final three overs, with Will Jacks hammering four sixes and fours to score 39 off 18 balls.
Fans in another blue-and-red jersey lined the halls of the stadium and cheered on every dot ball, and all their players produced on the turf of this iconic venue.
The sheer number of Nepal fans, easily outnumbering England, demonstrated the passion for cricket in the Himalayan nation, and their players did not disappoint.
Nepalese fielders kept their catches, while Airee (2/23) and Yadav (2/25) took two wickets each. Malla and Lamichhane also made the wickets.
England Win Thriller; Next Up SL vs IRE
Goodbye, this thriller! England wins the points after a nervy finish, and Nepal can take many positives from a defeat in a fighting match. But don’t go anywhere, cricket action is on. We are now gearing up for the next game, when Sri Lanka plays Ireland in what promises to be a tough fight. It’s already started, so click on the tabs for more excitement. Cheers!
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