![Nepal lost to England by 4 runs [Source: kapildevtamkr/X.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1770556798679_NepalfightT20WorldCupvsEngland.jpg?type=hq)
Nepal lost to England by 4 runs [Source: kapildevtamkr/X.com]
Just one day into the T20 World Cup 2026, Nepal were all over the former champions England in their opening fixture of the tournament. The Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, was at its feet as Nepal fell short by just 4 runs from a historic win against England on Sunday afternoon.
The Group C fixture between these teams also served as a crucial reminder to the big teams in the tournament that no associate team is a pushover in the first leg. The Netherlands also pulled off a similar fight against Pakistan on Day 1, leaving everyone gutted for their loss.
Nepal falls short against England by 4 runs
Nepal are playing just their second T20 World Cup, having made their debut in the 2024 edition, where they fell excruciatingly short of defeating South Africa in the group stage. They had fallen short by just 1 run on that night, showcasing their potential to world cricket.
On Sunday afternoon, they were asked to bowl first by Harry Brook at the iconic venue, and things went pretty well for them for most of the innings before the final over was bowled. After the fifties for Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook, Will Jacks took Karan KC for cleaners and scored 21 off the final 6 to take England to 184.
In response, Nepal were up for the task and kept coming closer and closer with a quick-fire start for Kushal Bhurtel's 29 off 17, followed by 39 (34) for captain Rohit Paudel. However, the batter who had England in a spot of bother was Dipendra Singh Airee, who decided to take on the lead spinner Adil Rashid. His efforts were carried on by Lokesh Bam's incredible cameo.
After Rashid conceded a whopping 42 off just 3 overs, without a wicket, Lokesh Bam took the momentum forward and whacked Jofra Archer for back-to-back sixes at 17.4 and 17.5 to bring life into the match. In the next over, he went after Luke Wood and brought the equation to 10 needed off the last over.
Sam Curran went on to nail a few yorkers, and the Asians only managed 5 runs in the final over, leaving the packed Nepali crowd in dismay.
Nepal's spirited performance wins hearts
As Nepal fell short of the target, fans flooded messages on the internet and lauded their fight. For some, it came as a surprise, while some believe that any team can pull off such upsets in T20 cricket and that bigger teams need to stay cautious. Nonetheless, there was no fan in the cricketing fraternity who was not impressed with the show that Nepal had put on.
Here are some reactions from Twitter/X:
Nepal-England encounter puts Group C on alert
So far, two matches have been played in Group C, where the West Indies have beaten Scotland, and England won the close match against Nepal.
With this 240-ball thriller played by Nepal and England, West Indies, in particular will approach the Nepal match at the same venue with extra bit of preparations, as they hope to qualify for the Super 8 stage. Scotland and Italy, as well, will need to be at their best to beat Nepal in such conditions after this outing as we move ahead in the competition.
.jpg?type=mq "Agha, Fakhar rate India highly")
