Sam Curran defends 10 runs as England edge past Nepal in thriller

Two-time champions England registered a narrow four-run victory against Nepal in a thrilling T20 World Cup Group C match here on Sunday. Nepal came very close to creating history with an upset win. They scored 180 for 6 in reply to England's 184 for 7. In this match, Sam Curran somehow managed to defend 10 runs in the last over, securing the win for his team.

10 runs needed in the last over

Lokesh Bam (39 not out off 20 balls) played brilliantly, keeping Nepal's hopes of an upset victory alive, but couldn't secure the win in the last over. Nepal needed 10 runs to win in the last over, but they couldn't hit any boundaries. Thus, his brilliant performance with the bat ended in a close defeat. Sam Curran bowled continuous yorkers in the final over, and the Nepal team could only manage five runs. Lokesh couldn't score any runs off the first and fifth balls of Curran's over. As a result, the Nepal team missed out on a major upset.

Nepal's brilliant performance

However, more than 17,000 fans were present at the Wankhede Stadium and witnessed Nepal performing far better than expected. Captain Rohit Paudel (39), Dipendra Singh Airee (39), Kushal Bhurtel (29), and Lokesh Bam (four fours, two sixes) showed great spirit, but they couldn't lead their team to victory.

Nepal needed 46 runs in the last three overs when Bam started his aggressive batting. He hit two sixes in Jofra Archer's 18th over and two consecutive fours off Luke Wood in the 19th over. Bhurtel scored runs quickly at the start, while a strong 82-run partnership for the third wicket between Paudel and Airee gave Nepal a solid foundation.

England had scored 184 runs.

Earlier, England posted a strong total of 184 for seven wickets, thanks to half-centuries from captain Harry Brook (53 runs) and Jacob Bethell (55 runs). The young left-handed batsman Bethell made a brilliant debut in the T20 World Cup with a quick half-century. He hit four sixes and four fours in 35 balls. Captain Brook was dismissed after playing a crucial innings of 32 balls, which included four fours and three sixes. He shared a 71-run partnership with Bethell for the fourth wicket.