Nepal gave a tough fight to England while chasing the target of 184 runs at Wankhede. Sam Curran saved England from a memorable defeat by 4 runs by saving 10 runs in the last over.
Sam Curran, I can’t thank you enough. By the end of the evening at Wankhede, there would hardly be any England cricket fan who would not have thought this. Because, he had saved his team from a defeat that would have been remembered for generations. Nepal, just a boundary, was what was separating you and history. Rohit Paudel’s boys had shaken the giants of cricket on the shores of the Arabian Sea. Nepal may not have any big name in the world of cricket, but it is certain that the day is not far when they will make their mark.
Remember the 2024 T20 World Cup? Then there was South Africa instead of England. When they restricted Aiden Markram’s team to 115, Nepal lost by just one run. It seemed that history would change tomorrow in Wankhede. The gallery and the circumstances, everything that was with them. Since yesterday morning, Marine Drive was filled with people wearing dark blue jerseys, and this crowd naturally spread to the Wankhede Gallery. The passion for cricket of a country with a population of only three crores was worth seeing. The ‘Barmy Army’ supporters there looked just like a few white spots.
The cricket world was keeping an eye on the field in the hope of a big score by England. But, they lost Jos Buttler and Phil Salt in the powerplay itself. Thanks to Jacob Bethel, Harry Brook and Will Jacques, whose innings took England to a score of 184. At the end of the first innings, Harry Brook thought this was enough to save the score. Nepal’s batting line-up proved Harry’s predictions wrong. Powerplay was not bad, 47 runs for two wickets. Meanwhile, Nepal’s opener Kushal Bhurtel had hit three consecutive boundaries on the fiery balls of Jofra Archer. The partnership between Rohit and Deependra Singh Airi was the backbone of Nepal’s innings.
How beautifully he was rotating the strike. Remember, in this partnership that lasted more than eight overs, there were only two overs in which no boundaries were hit. This was a very thoughtful partnership. Both of them targeted England’s premium spinner Adil Rashid. The pair scored 42 runs in three overs bowled by Adil. After the match, Harry Brook also admitted that there were very few people who could face Adil Rashid like this.
The numbers on Nepal’s scoreboard at the end of 14 overs were not giving any relief to Harry Brook. 123 runs at the loss of just two wickets. 62 runs were needed in 36 balls to win. According to today’s standards, this goal cannot be called very difficult. But, the possibilities of victory and defeat at Wankhede were changing. Nepal lost Deependra and Rohit in the 15th and 16th overs. Six runs were scored in two overs and two wickets fell.
It seemed that the war in Nepal ended there. But, there was one more twist left from Lokesh Bam’s side. In the 17th over, he hit consecutive boundaries to Sam Curran. In Archer’s over that came next, 22 runs including three sixes were scored. This was Archer’s most expensive over in his T20 World Cup career. Nepal had returned.
Two overs and 24 runs. Luke Wood, who came to bowl the 19th over, completely lost his rhythm. Three wides. Lokesh scored 11 runs. A total of 14 runs came in this important over. When Curran picked up the ball to bowl the last over, the challenge was to save 10 runs. Lokesh was looking like a hero, ready to face Karan.
Lokesh, who faced Archer and Luke Wood and even Curran with ease, missed the mark in the last moments. Sam Curran’s yorkers put a halt to his bat. One ball and six runs in the end, Nepali fans were on the edge of their seats, looking at that bat. But, Curran’s accuracy saved England there, four runs was the only difference.
When there was noise in Wankhede for Nepal’s belligerence, one thing became certain. This time nothing will be easy for anyone. Pakistan, India, New Zealand, England… all the big teams have been tested. What were thought to be small teams are not like that.