Kathmandu: Nepal’s third ICC T20 World Cup journey’s inaugural game against England was a thriller. It was a nail-biting game at the Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai, India. The heartbeats were fast among Nepali cricket fans all over—from the stadium to Nepal and other parts of the world. In the end, Nepal lost their opening game of this T20 World Cup campaign by just 4 runs, but won the hearts of their supporters.
Nepal was almost there in the game till the last ball of the last over against two-time T20 World Cup champions England in their first-ever encounter in any international campaign. But it was quite hard for Nepal to score 10 runs from the last over, as Nepal needed 6 runs from the last two balls. Lokesh Bam, who scored 39 runs in just 20 balls, couldn’t take Nepal home at the end, although his performance was one of the best innings by a Nepali batter in the T20 World Cup. Bam only scored 1 run from the last two balls of English bowler Sam Curran, who bowled brilliantly in the final over of the game to take his team home in their first game of the T20 World Cup campaign.
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel, who also scored 39 runs in the game, said that Nepali players played 110 percent in the match. “We have prepared for this game. We are not here only for participation. We want to give our 100 percent,” he said, adding that Nepal will fight back in the upcoming games. Moreover, he also thanked Nepalis in the stadium and back home in Nepal for the support and love they have given.
Winning the toss, England chose to bat first. They posted a decent 184 in 20 overs at the loss of seven wickets. Jacob Bethell scored 55, and captain Harry Brook made 53, while all-rounder Will Jacks remained not out on 39 off just 18 balls with four sixes at the end. Nepali bowlers Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav took two wickets each. Sher Mall and Sandeep Lamichhane took one wicket each.
English captain Brook said they had posted a decent total in the game. “We thought the total was enough, but the way Nepal played, it was fantastic,” Brook praised the Nepali team’s performance.
Chasing 185 in 20 overs against one of the best teams in the world was not easy for Nepal. But Nepali batters fought till the end, scoring 180 runs at the loss of six wickets. Dipendra Singh Airee made 44 runs off just 29 balls, while Kushal Bhurtel made 29 runs off 17 balls.
Now, Nepal will play against Italy in their second game of Group C. In this Group, Nepal, England, the West Indies, Scotland, and Italy will fight for the top two positions to advance to the next round of the World Cup. Nepal will take on the West Indies on February 15 and Scotland on February 17, respectively.
