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- England vs Nepal Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Sam Curran holds his nerve as England beat Nepal in last-over thriller
England vs Nepal Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Sam Curran holds his nerve as England beat Nepal in last-over thriller
Batting first, England endured a shaky beginning as Phil Salt departed for one in the second over. Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell countered with a brisk stand, adding 38 for the second wicket before Nandan Yadav removed Buttler for 26. England reached 57 for two in the powerplay but slipped again when Sandeep Lamichhane trapped Tom Banton lbw with the first ball after the fielding restrictions.
Bethell and Harry Brook then rebuilt with composure, combining for a crucial 71-run partnership. Bethell impressed on debut, scoring 55 off 34 balls to become only the second Englishman after Kevin Pietersen to register a fifty on T20 World Cup debut. Brook followed with a well-paced 53 from 32 balls before falling to Yadav. Will Jacks provided the late thrust, smashing an unbeaten 39 off 18 to lift England to 184. Along the way, Buttler surpassed Mahela Jayawardene to climb to third on the all-time T20 World Cup run-scoring list.
Nepal responded fearlessly, surging to 31 without loss inside three overs. England fought back through Liam Dawson and Will Jacks, reducing Nepal to 47 for two in the powerplay. Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee then applied sustained pressure, taking Nepal to 101 after 12 overs.
Sam Curran broke the dangerous stand by removing Airee for 44, and Dawson followed by dismissing Paudel soon after. Despite Lokesh Bam’s unbeaten 39 off 20 balls, Nepal finished on 180 for six.
England’s bowlers held their nerve in the closing moments, with Curran calmly defending the final over to seal a narrow but hard-earned victory.
Kushal Bhurtel to Sam Curran, Short, outside off, the googly, Sam Curran cuts it hard but straight to cover.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, On middle, punched down to long on for a single.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, MISFIELD, FOUR! Kushal Bhurtel is back into the attack and greeted in style. Tossed up, wide outside off, Harry Brook leans and drives it beautifully through the covers. Long off does get across to his left, dives the wrong way, with his back to the ball, and only succeeds in accelerating its passage towards the ropes.
- Sam Curran 0 (2)
- Harry Brook 40 (23)
Dipendra Singh Airee to Sam Curran, Quicker and shorter, outside off, Curran goes back to cut but the ball scurries off the bottom half of the bat towards point. A wicket and 8 runs from the over, Dipendra Singh Airee's bowling figures read 2-0-19-1 so far.
Dipendra Singh Airee to Sam Curran, Full and around middle, Sam Curran lunges to defend it back to the bowler.
DRINKS BREAK. Boy, did Nepal need that wicket. Brook and Bethell were just toying with the bowling and this breakthrough could not have come at a better time. But the train barely stops for England. The hitters just keep coming. Sam Curran is in next, at number 6, replacing Jacob Bethell. 'Normal cricket' will take England to 200 from here. Can Nepal prevent anything outlandish?
Dipendra Singh Airee to Jacob Bethell, OUT! CAUGHT! At last, Nepal break the 71-run stand. Floated, outside off, Bethell looks to go downtown. But probably, this is the first occasion where we can say, the ball actually stopped on the surface. Bethell was through his shot early and while he was aiming straight, because the shot got played early, the stroke got miscued towards long on. Easy catch for Lokesh Bam at the ropes. Bethell walks off shaking his head, but his 55 (35) has put England in a good position at 128/4 after 13.4 overs!
Dipendra Singh Airee to Harry Brook, Outside off, drilled past the bowler down to long off for a run.
Dipendra Singh Airee to Harry Brook, SIX! Just like that, from 23 (19), Brook has moved to 39 (22)! A touch short, around off, Brook rocks back and pulls it magnificently over deep mid-wicket!
Dipendra Singh Airee returns. 1-0-11-0 so far.
Dipendra Singh Airee to Jacob Bethell, Comes down the track and whips it to long on for a single.
- Harry Brook 33 (21)
- Jacob Bethell 54 (33)
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, SIX! PLUNDERED! Now, we are talking. Brook is getting into his elements now - 33 (21). Landed around middle, Brook rocks back a touch and heaves it over long on, making it 14 from the over and 28 in the last 2!
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, FOUR! INTO OUT! Not perfectly timed, but will find the boundary. Tossed up, outside off, Harry Brook comes forward and lofts this over cover from the bottom of his bat. The ball is miscued but once it makes contact with the turf, skims through to the ropes, beating sweeper to his right.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Jacob Bethell, Full, around middle, another wrong 'un, Bethell chips it down to long on for a run.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Jacob Bethell, The googly, around middle, Jacob Bethell goes for the reverse sweep but misses and is hit on the pads. The keeper starts to appeal for the LBW but then quietens down. Going down leg, probably.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, Full, around off, Brook leans and works it through mid on for a single.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, Sandeep Lamichhane comes back onto bowl. And Brook is straightaway after him. Jumps down the track and swings hard, but is not to the pitch of the ball. Still, goes through with the shot, miscuing it through mid-wicket for a couple. 50-RUN STAND IS UP, IN 36 BALLS!
- Jacob Bethell 53 (31)
- Harry Brook 20 (17)
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, Down the leg side, JB gets the broom out this time. But that area is covered too. Short fine leg stops it. 14 from the over!
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, A touch short now, outside off, Jacob goes back and cuts, but finds point this time.
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, Landed outside off, punched towards cover.
Jonny Buttler provided a solid start, finding the boundary in the first over, but fell for 26 to Nandan Yadav, who made an immediate impact in his first over. Despite these early blows, England’s middle order showed resilience. Jacob Bethell took charge, cracking a six and a boundary off Sher Malla, followed by a crisp drive for four off Bhurtel, while rotating the strike effectively.
Brook complemented Bethell with some fluent strokeplay, including a well-timed cut for four and a tidy two-run sprint, showing calm under pressure. Both batsmen combined for crucial partnerships, punishing loose deliveries while negotiating Lamichhane’s leg-spin and Nepal’s disciplined bowling.
England’s powerplay yielded 57/2, but the key to recovery lay in Bethell’s aggressive yet controlled approach and Brook’s measured innings. By the tenth over, England had reached 84/3, well poised to accelerate in the middle overs and set a competitive platform against Nepal, despite early jitters.
The duo’s partnership not only stabilized the innings but also highlighted England’s intent to chase confidently, ensuring the match remained firmly in their control heading into the next phase.
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, SIX MORE! Full and down the leg side, Bethell gets down on a knee and sweeps it powerfully over backward square leg! 50 IN 28 BALLS for Bethell, what a way to begin your World Cup campaign.
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, SIX! POWERFUL! Dropped short, around off, the googly, Jacob Bethell goes back, drags the ball and pulls it flat over long on, beating the fielder to his right! 100 UP FOR ENGLAND!
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, WIDE. Miles outside off, left alone.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, On middle and off, Harry Brook pushes it down to long on for a single.
- Jacob Bethell 41 (26)
- Harry Brook 19 (16)
Sher Malla to Jacob Bethell, FOUR! Lovely shot. Landed outside off, just a tad short of full, Jacob Bethell goes back, opens the face of his bat and guides it between short third and backward point, for his 4th four. Moves to 41 (26).
Sher Malla to Harry Brook, Down the leg side, 83.3 kph, pretty full, Harry Brook leans and clips it behind square leg for another single.
Sher Malla to Jacob Bethell, Shortish again, outside off, 95.5 kph, Jacob Bethell cuts it behind point for one.
Sher Malla to Harry Brook, On middle and off, worked through mid-wicket for a run.
Sher Malla to Jacob Bethell, Short again, this time Bethell cuts it past point for a single.
Sher Malla to Jacob Bethell, Short, outside off, cut straight to point.
Halfway mark. 84. Not as per England's standards, aye? But the good thing is that they have not gone for all broke and have tried to respect the pitch and the bowling. Sher Malla is back on. 2-0-27-1 so far.
- Jacob Bethell 35 (22)
- Harry Brook 17 (14)
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, Dragged length on the pads, Bethell uses the depth of the crease to flick it around the corner on the leg side for a single. England are 84/3 after 10 overs!
Kushal Bhurtel to Jacob Bethell, Fractionally short around off, JB rocks back to slap it away but the fielder at cover makes a sharp stop.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, Flighted delivery around leg, worked away wide of square leg for a single.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, Flatter delivery on middle, straightens a touch, Brook rocks back and pushes it back to the bowler. Bhurtel makes a half stop and deflects it behind but scampers after it and keeps it down to a dot ball.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, Bhurtel drags the length back and bowls it straighter. Brook rocks back and works it away through mid-wicket for a couple of quick runs.
Kushal Bhurtel to Harry Brook, FOUR! That's beautifully done by Brook. Tossed up, on a length and outside off, HB lunges across and just glides the ball away between backward point and short third for a boundary.
Kushal Bhurtel given the ball now. A leggie. Bowler number 6.
- Harry Brook 10 (10)
- Jacob Bethell 34 (20)
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, Shortish, around middle, the skipper pulls it towards deep backward square leg for one.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, Good work again. Outside off, Harry tries to work it through mid on but the bowler himself gets across to his right to slide and stop the ball.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, NEARLY BOWLED! How did that miss the stumps? A genuine leg spinner, tossed up, outside off. HB goes down to sweep but misses it totally. Luckily for him, the ball spins past the off stump!
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, A quick, fast, wrong 'un. At 92 kph, slightly short of full, around off, Brook goes back to defend.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Jacob Bethell, A googly now, shortish again, 86.1 kph, Jacob Bethell goes back and wrists it through mid-wicket for a run.
Sandeep Lamichhane to Harry Brook, Landed around off, a touch short, spinning away, Harry Brook goes back and nudges it through mid on for a single.
- Jacob Bethell 33 (19)
- Harry Brook 8 (5)
Nandan Yadav to Jacob Bethell, Hammered in on a shortish length on leg, Bethell fails to flick it away. The ball goes off the hips and rolls down to short fine leg.
Nandan Yadav to Jacob Bethell, WIDE! Back of a length and outside off, darts further away. Bethell has half a waft at it and misses.
Nandan Yadav to Jacob Bethell, Oh, that could have been disastrous for England. Slower and shorter over middle and leg, Bethell reaches up and controls the pull down through square leg. The batters complete the first run with ease and set off for the second but hesitate a bit before eventually going for it. The throw comes in at the keeper's end but it is well wide. A better throw and Bethell would have been in trouble.
Nandan Yadav to Jacob Bethell, Two is the early call from Jacob Bethell and two is what they get, excellent running. Back of a length and over middle, Bethell presses on his toes and nudges it down gently through the big gap at mid-wicket, racing back for the second run.
Nandan Yadav to Jacob Bethell, WIDE! Back of a length and angled down leg, Bethell looks to swivel and pull but misses. Wide called.
England’s innings never fully settled. Phil Salt fell early, and while Buttler and Bethell added quick runs, Nepal kept striking at regular intervals. The turning point came through a vital 71-run stand between Bethell and Brook, which steadied England after early losses. Bethell’s 55 on debut and Brook’s fluent 53 provided the backbone, before Will Jacks’ late unbeaten 39 ensured England finished strongly.
Nepal’s chase began with real intent as Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh raced out of the blocks. England responded through Liam Dawson and Will Jacks to claw back control, but Nepal refused to fade. Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee stitched together a vital partnership that kept the chase alive deep into the innings.
Just when Nepal looked capable of pulling off a famous upset, England struck twice in quick succession through Sam Curran and Dawson. Despite a late assault from Lokesh Bam, Nepal fell agonisingly short on 180 for six.
England’s bowlers delivered under pressure, and Curran’s calm execution in the final over sealed a narrow victory. The contest underlined Nepal’s growing stature on the global stage while allowing England to escape with four crucial points.
Match Statistics
Venue
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
