The Nepali cricket team held the world spellbound on Sunday with their electrifying performance against England at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Even though the Rhinos fell short of creating history by beating the two-time T20 World Cup champions—losing by just four runs—coming so close to the big English target was no small feat. From the very first game, Nepal have sent a message that they are ready to take on any team in the world.

On Sunday, England set a target of 185 for Nepal, well below England’s standards, as the Rhinos performed fairly well with the ball. Even as Nepal came close to England’s total, they fumbled badly in the last over bowled by the crafty left-arm medium pacer Sam Curran, handing Nepal a narrow defeat. Yet the way Nepal were able to restrict the potent English batting line-up to under 190 was a remarkable achievement. Even better was their unbelievable performance with the bat against an equally potent English bowling machine.

One factor helping them do well were Nepali fans who filled Wankhede stadium with Nepali flags and red-and-blue jerseys, creating a home-like atmosphere. Be it in small cricket tournaments at home or international matches abroad, Nepali fans ardently support their teams in every corner of the globe. Meanwhile, fans back home gathered at their homes, teashops, restaurants and public screenings to cheer on their team. For the fans and players, the narrow loss to England certainly brought back the memories of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, when Nepal lost to South Africa by just one run. Before that, Nepal had first taken part in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2014, which inspired many young people to pursue cricket. Even back in 2024, Nepal had gained widespread accolades and a global fan following.

England may have won the match, but it was Nepal that won the cricketing world’s hearts, including Dale Steyn, the South African fast-bowling great. Acknowledging Nepal team’s courage, he expressed his readiness to offer his services to Nepal. Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan also offered their respect to Nepal. Even the English players, including captain Harry Brook, praised Team Nepal for their valiant performance. We thus see that Nepal’s image as an emerging cricketing nation is reaching new heights with each global exposure.

Nepal don’t often get to compete against heavyweights and cultivate their skills at the highest level. This is important. Even on Sunday, while the relatively inexperienced Nepali batsmen appeared nervous in the last over, Curran saved England’s blushes with the vast skills he has accumulated at the highest level. Although Nepal is in a region that includes cricketing giants such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, its exposure against top Test-playing countries is still limited. Nepal would thus do well to host more top-level competitive matches; playing alongside some of the top global talents in the Nepal Premier League had already boosted their confidence no end. That is something to think about in the long term, though. For now, the Nepali men’s cricket team would do well to take heart from their performance against England and make a concerted push for the Super 8 spot in the World Cup. But, again, whatever happens in the future, what an incredible time it is to be a Nepali cricket fan!