Nepal suffered a narrow four-run defeat against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, missing out on a historic victory over the reigning world champions. In the opening match played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, Nepal fell just short after coming close to pulling off a famous win.
Chasing a challenging target of 185 runs set by England, Nepal managed 180 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Despite being within touching distance of victory, Nepal failed to score the required runs in the final over, letting a golden opportunity slip away.
Middle-order batter Dipendra Singh Airee was the top scorer for Nepal with an impressive 44 runs off 29 balls, which included six fours and one six. Towards the end, Lokesh Bam played a brilliant cameo, scoring 39 runs off just 20 balls and taking the match down to the final delivery. Captain Rohit Paudel contributed 39 runs, while opener Kushal Bhurtel added 29, but the rest of the batting lineup could not make significant contributions.
For England, Liam Dawson bowled economically, picking up two crucial wickets for 21 runs in his four overs. Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, and Luke Wood claimed one wicket each. Although England conceded 10 extra runs, Nepal’s inability to accelerate in the final over ultimately handed England a narrow victory.
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