T20 World Cup: England survive Nepal scare; register 4-run win in last over thriller

Nepal's Dipendra Singh Airee plays a shot during the T20 World Cup cricket match between England and Nepal in Mumbai, India, Sunday,Feb. 8, 2026.(AP)

NEW DELHI: England survived a late scare from Nepal to begin their T20 World Cup campaign with a narrow four-run win on Sunday at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, but the result did little to hide how close the associate side came to scripting a landmark upset. Chasing 185, Nepal needed 10 runs from the final over, but Sam Curran did not let set batter Lokesh Bam even a single boundary in the last six balls. Nepal stayed in the contest till the very end, pushing England to the brink before falling just short.

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Chasing 185 for a win, Nepal ended at 180 for 6 with Lokesh remaining not out on 39 off 20 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes. Dipendra Singh Airee scored a 29-ball 44 while captain Rohit Paudel chipped in with 39 off 34 balls. Earlier, England scored 184 for seven against Nepal in their opening game of the T20 World Cup. Batting first, England saw Jacob Bethell (55 off 35 balls) and Harry Brook (53 off 32 balls) make significant contributions with the bat after opener Phil Salt was dismissed early at the Wankhede Stadium. Will Jacks remained not out on 39 off 18 balls.

Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 updates, including the full schedule, teams, live scores, points table, and keyseries stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.

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