By the afternoon on Sunday, Marine Drive had turned red and blue. The coastal district in Mumbai teemed with thousands of Nepali fans, donning the Rhinos’ red-and-blue jersey. These fans, most of whom had come in from hundreds of miles away, were eager to witness Nepal taking on England at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. In just a couple of hours, the underdogs would mount a challenge to the two-time T20 World Cup champions at the famous Wankhede Stadium.

By 3pm, the stadium had come alive with the Nepali fans, packing the stands and waving the triangular Nepali flag. Soon it became clear that the crowd would be hugely one-sided. There were cheers when Nepal took wickets and a deafening silence when they conceded boundaries.

For a see-saw contest through and through, the atmosphere at the stadium alternated between these two registers.

And when Nepal needed six runs off the last two deliveries to pull off an upset, everybody was on the edge of their seats. Lokesh Bam was on strike at 39 off 19, with Sam Curran defending 10 runs off the last over.

England had put up 184/7, as Nepal did reasonably well with the ball. Nepal reached 175/6 at the end of 19 overs thanks to Bam hitting two consecutive sixes off Jofra Archer in the 18th and two fours off Luke Wood in the 19th.

However, Nepal could not manage six runs in the last two deliveries. Bam was trying a maximum in both of the last two balls. He was sent back by Karan KC when he tried to take a single in the second-to-last ball. Had they run and KC hit a four in the last ball, the scenario would have been different.

“It is better to have a batsman who is hitting sixes at such a moment,” Nandan Yadav said during the post-match conference when asked if the single should have been taken. “Karan dai can hit big, but he too felt that Lokesh was the best option then.”

Bam stayed not out at 39 off 20 as he could only manage a single in the last delivery. When he crossed the line, he was on his knees with his head down.

“Full credit to Nepal. They were outstanding everywhere,” Will Jacks said in the post-match conference. When asked how he felt when Nepal needed 10 runs off the last over, he responded, “Very nervous. My heart was thumping. Sam did well to defend it.”

Compared to the English batting order, 184/7 was well below their standards. Yet it still seemed comfortable given England’s bowling options.

In the English inning, Jacob Bethell (55 off 35) and Harry Brook (53 off 32) departed after individual fifties, while a blistering knock by Will Jacks (39 off 18) at the end saw England cross the 180-run mark. Dipendra Singh Airee and Nandan Yadav picked two wickets each, while Sher Malla and Sandeep Lamichhane claimed one each.

Meanwhile, Malla was the one who gave the first relief to Nepal. On his debut ball for Nepal, that too in a World Cup match, Malla bagged the wicket of Phil Salt in his second over.

When it came Nepal’s turn to bat, a good start by Kushal Bhurtel (29 off 17) followed by a 54-ball 82-run partnership for the third wicket between captain Rohit Kumar Paudel and vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee had thousands of Nepali fans dreaming of a victory over a country where the game was invented.

Airee, who got caught out while trying to complete his 50 with a six, however, managed to create history. He hit a four and a six in the last two deliveries of the 14th over, which was bowled by Adil Rashid, to reach 44 off 28. And 44 runs against England helped Airee become the first Nepali player to reach 2,000 T20I runs.

Paudel departed at 39 off 34 while also trying to hit big. When the skipper departed, Nepal were at 126/4 at 15.3 overs.

The game looked out of hand when Aarif Sheikh (10 off 8) and Gulshan Kumar Jha (1 off 2) departed. But it was Bam who brought the Rhinos back in the chase against the Lions.

“I was waiting for a bad delivery by Sam Curran in the last over to hit it for a six, but it was not meant to be,” Bam said. “The teammates said I played well, but I am personally disappointed.”

It was also because of the fight Nepal showed against one of the most successful teams in T20Is of late that Nepali fans did not leave in disappointment. They waited until the Rhinos took a lap around the ground to thank them; in return, they showed similar gratitude and promise to fill Wankhede again for the upcoming games.

“Winning ugly is a good trade,” Jacks said. “It was not as expected for us as the game went to the end.”

Jacks also did not resist from praising Nepali players further.

“There was a slow ball by Archer, which Lokesh hit for a six. I said ‘what a good shot’,” said Jacks. “There were several moments today by Nepali batters where I said it was a good shot.”

A similar praise came from England’s captain Harry Brook during the post-match presentation. “It wasn’t easy at all, thankfully we got over the line. They played extremely well, not many teams take Adil Rashid down the way they did,” Brook said.

The two most expensive players for England with the ball were two of their most experienced bowlers—Rashid and Archer. Each gave away 42 runs in their four overs, while only Archer managed a wicket.

“Result-wise, it did not go our way, but effort-wise…,” said Nepal’s skipper Paudel in the post-match presentation. “It is hard for bowlers in death overs to bowl, especially Yorkers, those slow bouncers. Sam Curran bowled really well. But I think we will improve.”

Dale Steyn wants to be part of Nepali cricket

While Nandan Yadav was seated for the post-match conference, a journalist informed the crowd of a post by South African great Dale Steyn on X.

“As soon as the match concluded between Nepal and England, Dale Steyn posted on X that he wanted to be part of Nepali cricket,” he informed. He then asked Yadav, “What do you have to say on that?”

Steyn’s post states, “Nepal I offer my services to you if you ever need em! Up, up and UP!”

Meanwhile, Yadav, unaware of the post by Steyn, said that it was big for Nepali cricket.

“He [Steyn] ruled cricket for 10 years,” said Yadav. “we can approach him… the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) can.”

And when the Post asked Yadav if Nepal’s hopes of qualifying for the Super 8 was in trouble after the loss against England, he replied, “We have a good chance of qualifying for the Super 8. It was just our first match, and the net run rate was also not affected much.”

Nepal have a good rest period before their second group-stage fixture. The Rhinos will face Italy on Thursday, with the match starting at 3pm local time.

Nepal will then face another two-time T20 World Cup champion West Indies on February 15 and Scotland on February 17.