Mumbai: In a thrilling opener of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Wankhede Stadium, England held their nerve to defeat Nepal by just four runs, restricting the challengers to 180/6 in 20 overs.
Two-time champions England posted 184/7 after a shaky start, with top-order batters Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook striking fifties. Bethell scored 55 off 35 balls, hitting four sixes and four boundaries, while Brook made 53 off 32 balls with three sixes and four boundaries. Will Jacks provided a late surge with 39 off 18 balls to give England a competitive total.
Opener Phil Salt, returning from injury, was dismissed for just one run, and former captain Jos Buttler contributed 22 off 14 before falling to Nandan Yadav. Bethell and Brook steadied the innings with a 71-run partnership, punishing loose deliveries and keeping the pressure on Nepal’s bowling attack.
Chasing 185, Nepal started strongly as Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel scored at a healthy strike rate. However, Aasif (9) was dismissed in the fourth over by Luke Wood, followed by Kushal (29), caught brilliantly by Will Jacks off his own bowling in the Powerplay.
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel (39 off 34) and Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29) forged a historic 82-run partnership, targeting England spinner Adil Rashid, who went wicketless for 42 runs. The duo’s efforts kept Nepal in the hunt, with Lokesh Ram finishing unbeaten on 39 off 20 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes.
England all-rounder Sam Curran broke the crucial partnership by dismissing Dipendra Singh in the 15th over. Liam Dawson also removed Paudel as Nepal tried to chase the total, but despite a valiant fight, they fell short by four runs.
Liam Dawson was England’s leading wicket-taker with 2/21, supported by Sam Curran, Luke Wood, Jofra Archer, and Will Jacks, who picked up one wicket each. For Nepal, Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav took two wickets apiece.
Earlier, Nepal had identified the late surge by Lokesh Ram and earlier partnerships as key highlights of their innings, with the team narrowly missing a historic win in their T20 World Cup debut.
Brief Scores:
England will look to build on this nail-biting start as the tournament progresses, while Nepal can take pride in pushing two-time champions to the final ball in their opening game.
With IANS inputs