England survives Nepal scare in last-over thriller at T20 World Cup 2026

More than 17,000 spectators—a vast majority draped in Nepal’s red and blue—packed the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

When Lokesh Bam failed to find the boundary off the final two deliveries, a palpable sense of ‘ so near, yet so far’ swept through the stands and across television screens worldwide as England held its nerve to scrape home in its Men’s T20 World Cup opener.

Defending 10 runs in the final over, Sam Curran kept his composure to concede just five, restricting Nepal to 180 for six—four runs short of England’s 184 for seven. Had Bam (39 n.o., 20b, 4×4, 2×6) managed to connect cleanly even once against Curran’s clever variations, Nepal would have pulled off the first upset of the tournament.

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Nepal’s late surge had ignited hope earlier. Bam’s two fortunate boundaries—thick edges flying either side of the wicketkeeper—off Curran in the 17th over injected belief into the chase. Still, with 46 needed off 18 balls, England remained firm favourite. That equation shifted dramatically when Bam followed up with consecutive sixes—a lofted off-drive and a pull—while Aarif Shaikh had earlier taken apart Jofra Archer, as the 18th over yielded 22 runs.

Bam then struck two boundaries off Luke Wood in the penultimate over to bring Nepal within touching distance. But Curran nailed his lengths in the final over, varying his bounce smartly and allowing England to escape.

Earlier, England was steadied by a 71-run stand off 45 balls between Jacob Bethell (55, 35b, 4×4, 4×6) and captain Harry Brook (53, 32b, 4×4, 3×6) after three early wickets. A late cameo from Will Jacks (39 n.o., 18b, 1×4, 4×6), yielding 34 runs in the final two overs, ultimately proved decisive in a contest England survived rather than dominated.

Published on Feb 08, 2026