T20 World Cup: Nepal lost to England by four runs

Kathmandu: Nepal lost to England in their first match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium this evening.

Nepal lost to the twice World Cup winner by four runs. Losing the game with a narrow margin, Nepal missed the opportunity to set a record in Nepal’s cricket history.

Chasing the target of 185 runs, Nepal managed 180 runs in 20 overs by losing six wickets. For Nepal, Deependra Singh Airi contributed the highest 44 runs with six fours and a six.

Likewise, Captain Rohit Poudel and Lokesh Bam made equal 39 runs while Kushal Bhurtel scored 29 runs.

As Arif Sheikh made 10 runs, the other batters could not contribute runs in double digits. Asif Sheikh made seven runs, and Gulsan Jha was out in one run. England’s Liam Dawson took two wickets.

Winning the toss, England chose to bat first and made 184 runs in 20 overs by losing seven wickets.

For bowling, Deependra Singh Airi and Nandan Yadav took two wickets while Sher Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane took one each.

This is Nepal’s third participation in the T20 World Cup. This was the first time that Nepal played against England. Nepal is ranked 16th in the T20 rankings, while England is ranked third.

Nepal was eliminated in the group stage in the previous two World Cups, including in the previous edition held in 2024 in the USA/West Indies.

Nepal is in Group C of the tournament along with England, the West Indies, Italy, and Scotland. Nepal is scheduled to face Italy in its second game on February 12.

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