Last-Ball Drama: England Overcome Nepal in T20 Thriller


England eked out a four-run victory against Nepal in a tense Group C match at the Twenty20 World Cup. Nepal's spirited chase almost clinched a stunning win, but England's Sam Curran held his nerve in the final over, conceding only five runs. Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell's fifties, along with Will Jacks' late surge, secured England's narrow success. Nepal's Lokesh Bam's unbeaten 39 and Dipendra Singh Airee's 44 kept them in the hunt, but it wasn't enough. Lokesh Bam's incredible knock almost pulled off a massive upset for Nepal! He hit Archer for two sixes and took England's bowling apart in the penultimate over. The Nepalese fans were on the edge of their seats, but Sam Curran's smart bowling in the last over secured a narrow win for England. Nepal's campaign might be over, but they've earned massive respect for pushing England to the limit. Will Jacks was named player of the match, dismissing Bhurtel and belting 39 not out from No. 7, including three final-over sixes to end England's innings on a high note. The contrast with Nepal's run chase was evident and Paudel must have rued his decision to return to his seamers at the death, leaving the effective Airee's fourth over unused. "The whole of Nepal came here to support us," Paudel said after a heart-breaking defeat. "It's great to see them here and that motivates us: when we went to the ground, we carry your hopes, we carry your belief. Today, we gave everything, and all of Nepal will be very proud of us." England was indeed off the mark, struggling to contain Nepal's batting lineup. Liam Dawson was a standout, picking up 2 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs, a great effort considering it's his first ICC match at 35! On the other hand, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid were expensive, going for 42 and an unspecified number of runs, respectively. Despite England's struggles, they managed to scrape through with a 4-run win, thanks to Will Jacks' all-round performance (39* and 1 wicket) and Sam Curran's composure in the final over. Nepal was aggressive from the start, with Kushal Bhurtel taking on Jofra Archer and hitting three boundaries in four balls. The partnership between Dependra Singh Airee and Rohit Paudel was crucial, putting on 82 off 54 balls and bringing Nepal within striking distance. With 62 runs needed off the last six overs, the game was wide open. England 184 for 7 (Bethell 55, Brook 53, Jacks 39*) beat Nepal 180 for 6 (Airee 44, Bam 39*, Paudel 39, Dawson 2-21) by four runs