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MUMBAI: England held on to their nerve in the final over to escape defeat against Nepal in the fifth fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Set a challenging 185 for spirited Nepal, England defended 10 in the last over, thanks to brilliant bowling from Sam Curran.
Nepal’s Lokesh Bam (39 not out) needed a six off the final delivery of the match, bowled by Sam Curran, but could only club the ball to deep cover for a single.
Nepal fell just short at 180-6, despite being roared on by most of the spectators in a three-quarters full Wankhede stadium.
They got off to a flying start in their chase, Kushal Bhurtel crunching 29 off 17 balls before Jacks had him caught and bowled.
Captain Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee came together at 42-2 and brought up Nepal’s 100 in the 12th over.
Pace man Archer, who conceded 14 off his first over, was brought back and put the brakes on, conceding just six runs from his next two overs.
But the Nepali batter ook to Rashid at the other end, launching the leg-spinner for 19 off his third over with Airee hitting two sixes and a four. He finished with 0-42 from three overs.
The blitz left Nepal needing 62 off the last six overs with eight wickets in hand.
Left-arm seamer Curran returned and immediately got the vital breakthrough, ending the 82-run partnership for the third wicket when Airee holed out to Tom Banton for 44.
The wicket slowed Nepal’s charge and Paudel on 39 then swept Liam Dawson to Phil Salt at deep midwicket to leave them 126-4 in the 16th over.
Archer came back for a final over and proved expensive again, being thrashed for three sixes and 22 runs by Lokesh to leave Nepal 24 off 12 balls for an unlikely win.
Dawson was the pick of England’s bowlers with 2-21 while Archer had 1-42 from his four as England just held on.
It was an agonising end to a valiant run chase by the cricketing minnows, who put England’s premier bowlers Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid to the sword.
Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook scored quick fifties, but Nepal took regular wickets as England made 184-7 on Sunday in their opening Group C match of the T20 World Cup in Mumbai.
It could have been so much better for the Nepalis, but Will Jacks smashed three spectacular sixes off the final over from Karan KC.
The all-rounder’s late cameo of 39 not out off 18 balls took England to the highest total of the tournament so far and left Nepal with a target of 185 to pull off a huge upset.
Brook won the toss and elected to bat on the same pitch that had been deployed for the India-USA clash the previous night.
Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel said he would have bowled anyway and his spin-heavy attack successfully squeezed the England batters for most of the 20 overs until the late onslaught from Jacks.
Opener Phil Salt perished off the first ball from Sher Malla, top-edging the spinner to short fine leg.
It brought Bethell to the crease and the left-hander immediately made a statement with two fours and a six off the same Malla over.
Jos Buttler made a quickfire 26 before he edged a lifting ball from Nandan Yadav to wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh.
Bethell was looking imperious and, despite losing Tom Banton cheaply, he reached his fifty off 28 balls with two consecutive towering sixes.
Joined by Brook at 57-3, the pair took the total past the hundred mark in the 12th over.
Bethell departed for 55 to end a 71-run partnership after being caught at deep mid-on attempting another big blow. He hit four sixes and four fours.
Sam Curran joined Brooks but did not last long, bowled by Dipendra Singh Airee for two and England were 137-5 in the 16th over.
Brook brought up his fifty off 31 balls with a third six but was caught in the deep off the next delivery and England were 157-6 with 10 balls remaining before Jacks’s late charge.
For Nepal, Airee with 2-23 and Yadav, who took 2-25, were the pick of the bowlers.
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