ISLAMABAD: Half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and skipper Harry Brook steered England to 184/7 in their allotted 20 overs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
Put in to bat, England suffered an early blow when opener Phil Salt was dismissed for one from two balls, falling to Sher Malla on the opening delivery of the second over.
Jos Buttler and Bethell then rebuilt the innings, scoring freely and keeping the run rate moving with regular boundaries. The partnership was broken by Nandan Yadav, who removed Buttler for 26 off 17 balls, an innings that featured five boundaries, leaving England at 43/2 in 4.3 overs.
England’s troubles continued when Tom Banton was dismissed for two from five deliveries, trapped on the first ball of the seventh over by Sandeep Lamichhane.
Bethell and Brook then combined to stabilise the innings, guiding England towards a competitive total. Bethell brought up his third T20I half-century during the stand, helping the side cross the 100-run mark.
Will Jacks
The pair added 71 runs for the fourth wicket before Dipendra Singh Airee struck to dismiss Bethell, who played a vital knock of 55 off 35 balls, including four fours and four sixes, as England reached 128/4 in 13.4 overs.
Airee struck again to claim his second wicket, removing Sam Curran for two off eight balls, reducing England to five down.
Brook continued to anchor the innings, pushing the total beyond 150 and registering his sixth T20I fifty. He was eventually dismissed by Nandan Yadav after scoring 53 off 32 deliveries, which included four boundaries and three sixes.
Will Jacks provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 39 off 18 balls, featuring one four and four sixes, while Jofra Archer was run out for one from three deliveries.
