In a thrilling encounter at the T20 World Cup held at Wankhede on Sunday, Nepal came tantalizingly close to stunning England before the two-time champions secured a narrow four-run victory. The Nepalese team, led by Rohit Paudel, showcased remarkable resilience while chasing England’s total of 184-7. With 46 runs needed from the last 18 balls, No. 6 batsman Lokesh Bam (39 not out off 20 balls) launched a fierce attack on pacer Jofra Archer (1-42), hitting two consecutive sixes in a 22-run over. As the tension mounted, with 24 runs required off the final 12 balls, left-arm pacer Luke Wood (1-31) allowed 14 runs in the 19th over, leaving Nepal needing just 10 runs off six balls. However, Sam Curran (1-27) demonstrated his experience, delivering precise yorkers to restrict the scoring to just five runs. All-rounder Will Jacks, who contributed with 39 not out off 18 balls and took 1-17 with his off-spin, expressed his relief post-match. “It’s a mix of relief and happiness. We came here to win, and we achieved that. Job done. But we also understand that these situations will arise again in the future,” Jacks noted at the press conference. He praised Nepal’s performance, emphasizing, “Full credit to them; they were exceptional in the field and their running was superb—they just kept pushing forward.” The match attracted a lively crowd of 17,000, with many supporters rallying behind Nepal. Pacer Nandan Yadav, who took 2-25, remarked, “Games like these benefit us and the audience; they highlight our improving standards.” Key contributions for Nepal included Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29 balls) and captain Rohit Paudel (39). Earlier, England set the stage with a solid total, powered by half-centuries from Jacob Bethell (55) and captain Harry Brook (53).
