England’s Sam Curran celebrates after defeating Nepal during the T20 World Cup (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool) England captain Harry Brook admitted he was surprised by how Nepali batsmen attacked senior Adil Rashid during the T20 World Cup opener on Sunday. The former champions were pushed to the limit before finally sealing a narrow four-run victory after posting a challenging target of 185.
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“It wasn’t easy at all, luckily they got over the line. They played extremely well and few teams take Adil Rashid like they do. I thought we were in a very good position to defend it. I wish them all the best for the rest of the competition,” Brook said at the post-match awards ceremony. England’s total of 184 for seven was built around aggressive half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and Brook, along with a late burst from Will Jacks, whose 39 came off just 18 balls. “Beth bowled brilliantly, the way he turned and hit the spinners into the stands was brilliant. I just said we got 2-3 wickets and everything changes. We have so many options. I don’t think Sam (Curran) bowled until much later. “Rashid got the tap there and it’s not often he doesn’t bowl four balls. I’m sure he’ll bounce back. He knew exactly what he was going to play,” Brook added. Nepal captain Rohit Paudel said his team came to the tournament with the intention of competing strongly and challenging the top teams, which was reflected in their performance against England. “I think the lads gave it their all. I’m very proud of them. We had faith when we came to this World Cup. We didn’t come here just to take part. We didn’t get the result but with the effort we gave 100% in every department. Sam Curran played really well in the last over. We’ll improve from there.” Rohit said. Discussing the chase, he added: “We were counting. We wanted to take wickets with 10 runs in the over in the last few overs. It wasn’t the plan to face Adil Rashid and it just happened. We’re not going to take any team lightly.” “We as a team need to be at 100%. They are very passionate. The whole of Kathmandu, Nepal has come here to support us. I think the whole of Nepal will be proud of us.” Man of the match Will Jacks also praised Nepal’s efforts after they pushed England deep into the closing stages of the competition. “I think full credit to Nepal. They were absolutely brilliant. We saw it was difficult when we were batting but they played really, really well against us and really got us close there,” Jacks said. Speaking about his own bat, he added: “It’s nice to spend some time in the middle (on his bat). I’ve been a bit short for the last month or so and by keeping it simple, the guys in the middle have given me an idea of what it’s like out there, so let the ball come, it’s nice and easy.” On Nepal’s late-innings decision, particularly around the final over which cost 21 runs, Jacks said: “I could see they were debating. I think the helmet ran out and then ran away, so in hindsight they could have done that of course, but overall they were very good tactically. “Obviously they pushed us to the edge there. I think if the surfaces continue to behave like this, then it will be key going forward.” Jacks also stressed that teams will need to adapt quickly to pitch conditions in the upcoming matches, adding that adaptability will play a key role as the tournament progresses.
