England survive Nepal scare, barely register first win T20 World Cup 2026 clash
Nepal vs England was a game that many thought would comfortably go England's way. However, the side was in for a bitter surprise. Nepal put forth an incredible performance, chasing down a target og 185 runs. However, England's bowling attack proved to be too much to handle in the end.
Game 5 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 saw England taking on Nepal. The two sides locked horns at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 8. The clash began with England coming in to bat first. The side opened its innings with Phil Salt scoring one run and Jos Buttler scoring 26.
Jacob Bethell came forth and put in a good showing, scoring 55 runs in 35 deliveries. Tom Banton added two runs on the board, alongside Harry Brook, who amassed 53 runs in 32 deliveries.
Additionally, Will Jacks added 39* runs on the board in the latter stages of the innings to help England post a total of 184 runs. As for Nepal, Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav were the highest wicket takers with two wickets each to their names in the first innings. Sandeep Lamichhane and Sher Malla took one wicket each.
Airee-Paudel came close but could not cross the finish line
Speaking of the run chase, Nepal surprised many. The side opened its innings with Kushal Bhurtel impressing many. The opener scored 29 runs in 17 deliveries. Furthermore, Aasif Sheikh departed on a score of seven runs.
England looked to be in control of the game but it was the partnership between Dipendra Singh Airee and Rohit Paudel that helped Nepal stay in the game. Airee amassed 44 runs in 29 deliveries, whereas Paudel scored 39 runs in 34 deliveries.
The partnership between the two saw Nepal consistently close the gap between them and England. Lokesh Bam put forth an incredible performance as well, scoring 39 runs in 20 deliveries. However, with Nepal needing six runs off the last two deliveries, Nepal failed to finish the game. England limited their opponents to a score of 180, winning the game by four runs.
As for England, Liam Dawson was the highest wicket taker with two wickets to his name. Will Jacks, Luke Wood, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran contributed with one wicket each as well.
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