Nepal came agonisingly close to scripting a historic upset against England at the T20 World Cup, before the two-time champions held their nerve to secure a four-run victory at Wankhede Stadium. Chasing 184, Nepal’s lower order, led by Lokesh Bam, mounted a late charge, but Sam Curran’s composed final over sealed the win
Lokesh Bam (right) is dejected as England hero Sam Curran looks on after Nepal’s defeat at Wankhede. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
Nepal almost pulled off one of the biggest upsets against England at this T20 World Cup at Wankhede on Sunday before the two-time champions managed to eke out a close four-run win.
The Rohit Paudel-led Nepal side put up a strong fight, chasing 184-7. With 46 needed off the last 18 balls, No. 6 batter Lokesh Bam (39 not out off 20 balls) smashed pacer Jofra Archer (1-42) for two consecutive sixes in a 22-run over. With 24 required off the last 12 balls, left-arm pacer Luck Wood (1-31) conceded 14 runs off the 19th over, leaving Nepal needing 10 off the last six balls. Left-arm pacer Sam Curran (1-27), however, used all his experience, bowling some perfect yorkers to concede just five runs.
Will Jacks
All-rounder Will Jacks, who scored 39 not out off 18 balls and claimed 1-17 with his off-spin, admitted the win was a huge relief. “Relief and happiness. We came into this game to win, and we did. Job done. But it’s also part of preparation for what’s to come because we know we’ll be in similar situations again,” Jacks said at the post-match press conference. When asked to assess the contest, Jacks said, “Full credit to Nepal. They were outstanding in the field and their running between the wickets was excellent — they just kept coming.”
There was a 17,000-strong crowd at the Wankhede and majority were cheering for Nepal. Nepal pacer Nandan Yadav, who claimed 2-25, said, “Matches like this are good for us and for the crowd as well. It shows that our standard is going up.”
Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29 balls), captain Rohit Paudel (39) were Nepal’s other key contributors. Earlier, England posted 184-7, thanks to half-tons by Jacob Bethell (55) and skipper Harry Brook (53).
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