NEW DELHI: Nepal’s intrepid performance against two-time champions England in the inaugural Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 won admiration from across the cricketing world, including high praise from former South African great Dale Steyn.In a nail-biting contest that went down to the final ball at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, England held their nerve and escaped with a four-run win, restricting Nepal to 180/6 in reply to 184/7. As Steyn watched a gutsy chase in Nepal that almost created a historic upset, Steyn took to social media to applaud the rise of the associate nation.
Special dinner for Team India at Gautam Gambhir’s house in Delhi | T20 World Cup
“Nepal, I offer my services should you ever need them! Up, up and UP!”, wrote Steyn, capturing the spirit of a performance that sent the former world champions over the edge.The former Indian all-rounder also applauded Nepal’s efforts. “Huge respect to Nepal. They went up against one of the best teams in the world, fought till the last ball and showed what faith and heart can do! This is how teams grow and this is how champions grow. Cricket world is watching!,” Yuvraj wrote. Chasing the challenging target, Nepal started aggressively as openers Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel scored in over ten overs against an experienced England attack. England hit back in the powerplay with Luke Wood dismissing Aasif (9) while Will Jacks produced a brilliant comeback to remove the dangerous Bhurtel.After early setbacks, skipper Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee leveled the innings with a historic 82-run partnership that firmly set Nepal’s momentum on the way. The duo took on England’s leading spinner Adil Rashid, who conceded 42 runs without a wicket, rotating the strikes smartly and punishing loose deliveries.England finally found relief in the 15th over when Sam Curran fooled Dipendra with a slower ball to finish with a brilliant 44 off 29 balls that included six fours and a six. Liam Dawson then removed Paudel for a composed 39, putting England back in control.Still, Nepal refused to disappear. Lokesh Ram launched a late onslaught, smashing an unbeaten 39 off just 20 balls to leave England defending for 10 runs in the final over. Curran responded with a fine finish to seal a thrilling victory for Harry Brook’s side.Earlier, England recovered from a shaky start with half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and Brook before Will Jacks lifted them to a competitive total with his explosive 39 off 18 balls.Despite the loss, Nepal walked away with faith, momentum and the support of one of cricket’s greatest fast bowlers – a sign that their rise on the world stage is being recorded.
