Two-time champions England avoided a major shock at the T20 World Cup, opening the season with a nerve-wracking four-goal win over fearless Nepal in Mumbai.
Nepal needed 10 runs from the final over to pull off the upset but ended up chasing 185 for 180-6 in the Group C encounter at the Wankhede Stadium, with only five runs coming from Sam Curran.
Earlier, Harry Brook (53 off 32) and Jacob Bethell (55 off 35) hit six half-centuries, while Will Jacks (39 off 18) hit a maximum of three for 21 runs in the final over as England won 184-7 against the semi-nations in their first-ever encounter.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sam Curran conceded only five of Nepal’s required 10 runs in the final over as England defeated the sub-nationals in the T20 World Cup Classic.
Nepal raced to 31-0 in three overs and, after checking their progress on a few wickets, restarted and cantered to 123-2 after 14 overs as Rohit Paudel (39 off 34) and Dipendra Singh Airi (44 off 29), who combined for 82 off 54 deliveries, pushed through Adil Rashid’s (0-42) leg-spin, including a whiplash. 3 overs for 19.
England took the edge and Ask managed to restrict them to 62 runs off the last 36 balls, but then Airey and Paudel were caught in successive overs by Liam Dawson (2-21) and Curran (1-27), turning the match back to the favorites.
However, Jofra Archer hit a 22-run over, Lokesh Bam (39 off 20) scored six consecutive runs and Luke Wood produced a thrilling finale with a 14-run set. Curran ensured England won that first set.
As England celebrated and Nepal reflected on what had happened, it became clear just how important Jack’s late show with the bat was.
England next face West Indies in Mumbai on Wednesday. The match can be streamed live for free on the Sky Sports app. They then face Scotland in Kolkata on Valentine’s Day before facing debutant Italy in their final group game at the same venue on February 16.
Nepal, who proved they can beat anyone in this tournament, will face Italy on Thursday.
England and Nepal play classic in Mumbai
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Shah Mala celebrates enthusiastically after dismissing England opener Phil Salt with the first ball in T20 international cricket
Brook’s side, winners of the T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2022 and semi-finalists in the previous tournament in 2024, stumbled at 57-3 in six overs with one ball as Tom Banton (2) was pinned LBW with a reverse sweep off leg-spinner Sandeep Ramikan’s first delivery.
Nepal’s off-spinner Shah Mala hit the first ball in the T20I format, Phil Salt (No. 1) was caught with a sweep at the start of the second over, and in the fifth, Jos Buttler (26) evaded a rising delivery from seamer Nandan Yadav (2-25) and scored.
Brooke was hoping to move on from a “terrible” period in New Zealand last autumn when he got into a high-profile scuffle with a nightclub bouncer, but after initially batting fairly subduedly, he earned a move to the England squad and shared a four-wicket share of 71 for 45 with Bethel.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
England captain Harry Brook reached his 50 with 6 off 31 balls.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Jacob Bethel crosses 50 with best streak in Mumbai
Batting at No. 3 and Brook coming in at No. 5, Bethel decided to go short, but Brook’s six-on cracked from deep in the crease and both batsmen holed out deep shortly after scoring their third and sixth T20 international fifties respectively.
England’s innings stagnated a bit, with Curran clipping the stumps for a pedestrian two, but they only managed 45 runs in the last three overs, with Jacks beating Curran KC in the final set with a maximum of three offsides near Archer’s run-out.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Salt makes a great catch on Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, who was missed deep at Wankhede Stadium.
Archer and Wood were pulled apart by Kushal Brutel (17 for 29) in the second and third overs, with Archer (1-42) nailed for 14 and Wood (1-31) for 15, but then Dawson pouched Aasif Sheikh (7) with a sweep and Jacks (1-17) caught and bowled Brutel.
But Nepal is back. Paudel and Iley smoked boundaries and ran brilliantly, while Lokesh’s fireworks kept dreams of a famous victory alive before a callous Curran took the final say.
Brook praises England’s calm under pressure
England captain Harry Brook said this at the presentation.
“It wasn’t easy, but thankfully we were able to get over the line. Nepal played very well. Not many teams rate Adil Rashid this highly.
“They were outstanding against him and put us in difficult situations quite a few times. It wasn’t ideal, but it was just one of those days for him. I’m confident he’ll bounce back.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
While speaking to Nasser Hussain at the presentation, Brooke praised Nepal and Karan and reflected on a tough day for Adil Rashid
“I said if we take two or three wickets everything will change. We stuck to our guns and kept our cool. Curran knew exactly what he was trying to do and he executed brilliantly.
“It was great to see Bethel swinging with the bat and slamming the spinner into the stands, and Jacks did his job at No. 7. That won the game.”
England T20 World Cup schedule and results (1st round)
Always UK and Ireland. All matches will be streamed live on Sky Sports
Defeat Nepal by 4 points (Mumbai) vs West Indies (Wednesday 11th February) – Mumbai (1.30pm) vs Scotland (Saturday 14th February) – Kolkata (9.30am) vs Italy (Monday 16th February) – Kolkata (9.30am)
Watch the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from February 7th to March 8th. Get Sky Sports now and stream without a contract.
