In a nail-biting finish, England cricket team held their nerve to defeat Nepal national cricket team by four runs, avoiding a historic upset on the final ball.
England posted 184/7 in their 20 overs, with half-centuries from Jacob Bethell (55 off 35) and captain Harry Brook (53 off 32) setting a competitive total. Nepal responded with fearless intent, reaching 180/6, driven by Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29) and a stunning late assault from *Lokesh Bam (39 off 20)**.
Chasing 185, Nepal needed 10 runs from the final over. Sam Curran delivered under immense pressure, nailing yorkers to keep the target just out of reach. Lokesh, who had earlier smashed 22 runs off Jofra Archer in the 18th over and found boundaries again in the 19th, could manage only a single from the last ball when six was required.
England’s bowlers found control at the death, with Liam Dawson impressing on World Cup debut at 35, returning 2/21. The narrow win gives head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Harry Brook a steady start to their campaign after recent scrutiny.
England next face West Indies at the same venue on Wednesday, while Nepal earned widespread praise for pushing one of the tournament favourites to the limit.
Match Snapshot
- England: 184/7 (20) – Bethell 55, Brook 53
- Nepal: 180/6 (20) – Airee 44, Lokesh 39*
- Result: England won by 4 runs
- Venue: Mumbai
England cricket team – T20 World Cup Squad
🧢 Batters & Wicketkeepers
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Harry Brook
- Phil Salt
- Will Jacks
- Dawid Malan
🏏 All-Rounders
- Ben Stokes
- Sam Curran
- Moeen Ali
- Liam Livingstone
🎯 Bowlers
- Jofra Archer
- Mark Wood
- Reece Topley
- Chris Woakes
- Adil Rashid
- Liam Dawson
🔥 Team Strengths
- Explosive top order
- Multiple pace options at death
- Quality spin (Rashid + all-rounders)
- Big-match experience
Nepal national cricket team – T20 World Cup Squad
🧢 Batters & Wicketkeepers
- Aasif Sheikh (wk)
- Kushal Bhurtel
- Rohit Paudel (c)
- Dipendra Singh Airee
- Lokesh Bam (wk-batter)
🏏 All-Rounders
- Sompal Kami
- Gulshan Jha
- Kushal Malla
🎯 Bowlers
- Sandeep Lamichhane
- Karan KC
- Lalit Rajbanshi
- Abinash Bohara
- Pratis GC
🔥 Nepal Team Strengths
- Fearless batting approach
- Quality spin attack (Lamichhane 🔥)
- Strong lower-order hitters
- High-energy fielding
