171/3 (19.2)
CR : 8.84
170/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.50
Nepal won by 7 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Dipendra Singh Airee
0/2350(23)
10:20 PM IST, Local Time: The Cardiac Kids at the task again finishing their T20 World Cup campaign with a thumping and exhilarating 7-wicket win over Scotland in the final over at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where they came close to defeating England a few nights back.
Sompal Kami set things up with a terrific spell in the first innings. Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel provided the artillery with the bat to seal a tense but big win in Group C. Nepal will finish the Group stage at the bottom of the table but will take plenty of positives and turn millions of heads towards them as a cricketing nation with the kind of performances they have displayed this year.
Winning the toss, Nepal elected to bowl first. Michael Jones played a thumping innings at the top of the order hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes in his 45-ball 71. Scotland managed to put up a competitive 170/7 at the end of 20 overs, Sompal Kami finishing with 3/25 in his 4 overs.
Kushal Bhurtel took the attack to Mark Watt in the 5th over smashing a four and a couple of sixes before Aasif Sheikh hammered a maximum to finish the over claiming 23 runs off it. Nepal moved to 50 in 5.1 overs and had 56/0 on the board at the end of the powerplay.
Michael Leask was introduced in the 10th over and struck on the very first ball to remove Bhurtel for 43 in 35 balls. His next couple of overs comprised of wickets as well as he dismissed Aasif next (33 off 27) and skipper Rohit Paudel (16 off 14) to have 3/10 next to his name after 3 overs.
Nepal brought up their 100 in 13.5 overs with 3 quick wickets slowing down the scoring rate. Oliver Davidson (0/31) who bowled a tidy spell conceded a maximum off the final ball of the 15th over and that's where the momentum shifted.
Gulshan Jha hammered Davidson for the biggie and then Dipendra Singh Airee smashed consecutive sixes off the first 2 balls from Leask's final over. The crowd found their voice as the batters claimed 20 runs off Leask's final over who was the pick of the bowlers so far.
Brad Currie conceded 11 in the 17th over, Brad Wheal started the 18th over well but was hammered for a maximum by Airee over point with a staggering shot and ended the over with four over fine leg to bring the equation down to 15 off 12.
Currie in the penultimate over conceded 10 of those, Wheal allowed Airee to complete another unforgettable half century in 23 balls with Nepal moving to victory in 19.2 overs. Leask finished with 3/30, Davidson with his left arm spin was tidy with 0/31 and Brad Currie bowled 4 wicketless overs conceding 33 runs but brilliance from Airee, Gulshan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel at the top of the order ensured Nepal had the last laugh.
Sompal Kami set things up with a terrific spell in the first innings. Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel provided the artillery with the bat to seal a tense but big win in Group C. Nepal will finish the Group stage at the bottom of the table but will take plenty of positives and turn millions of heads towards them as a cricketing nation with the kind of performances they have displayed this year.
Winning the toss, Nepal elected to bowl first. Michael Jones played a thumping innings at the top of the order hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes in his 45-ball 71. Scotland managed to put up a competitive 170/7 at the end of 20 overs, Sompal Kami finishing with 3/25 in his 4 overs.
Kushal Bhurtel took the attack to Mark Watt in the 5th over smashing a four and a couple of sixes before Aasif Sheikh hammered a maximum to finish the over claiming 23 runs off it. Nepal moved to 50 in 5.1 overs and had 56/0 on the board at the end of the powerplay.
Michael Leask was introduced in the 10th over and struck on the very first ball to remove Bhurtel for 43 in 35 balls. His next couple of overs comprised of wickets as well as he dismissed Aasif next (33 off 27) and skipper Rohit Paudel (16 off 14) to have 3/10 next to his name after 3 overs.
Nepal brought up their 100 in 13.5 overs with 3 quick wickets slowing down the scoring rate. Oliver Davidson (0/31) who bowled a tidy spell conceded a maximum off the final ball of the 15th over and that's where the momentum shifted.
Gulshan Jha hammered Davidson for the biggie and then Dipendra Singh Airee smashed consecutive sixes off the first 2 balls from Leask's final over. The crowd found their voice as the batters claimed 20 runs off Leask's final over who was the pick of the bowlers so far.
Brad Currie conceded 11 in the 17th over, Brad Wheal started the 18th over well but was hammered for a maximum by Airee over point with a staggering shot and ended the over with four over fine leg to bring the equation down to 15 off 12.
Currie in the penultimate over conceded 10 of those, Wheal allowed Airee to complete another unforgettable half century in 23 balls with Nepal moving to victory in 19.2 overs. Leask finished with 3/30, Davidson with his left arm spin was tidy with 0/31 and Brad Currie bowled 4 wicketless overs conceding 33 runs but brilliance from Airee, Gulshan Jha and Kushal Bhurtel at the top of the order ensured Nepal had the last laugh.
Highest Successful Run Chases by Associate Teams in T20 World Cups
195 - USA vs Canada, Dallas, 2024
190 - Netherlands vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
171 - Nepal vs Scotland, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2026 Tonight*
195 - USA vs Canada, Dallas, 2024
190 - Netherlands vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
171 - Nepal vs Scotland, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2026 Tonight*
Fastest Fifties by Associate Batters in T20 World Cups (by balls)
17 - by Stephan Myburgh (Netherlands) vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
22 - Aaron Jones (USA) vs Canada, Dallas, 2024
22 - Ben Manenti (Italy) vs England, Kolkata, 2026
23 - Sanjay Krishnamurthi (USA) vs Namibia, Chennai, 2026
23 - Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal) vs Scotland, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2026* (TONIGHT)
17 - by Stephan Myburgh (Netherlands) vs Ireland, Sylhet, 2014
22 - Aaron Jones (USA) vs Canada, Dallas, 2024
22 - Ben Manenti (Italy) vs England, Kolkata, 2026
23 - Sanjay Krishnamurthi (USA) vs Namibia, Chennai, 2026
23 - Dipendra Singh Airee (Nepal) vs Scotland, Mumbai (Wankhede), 2026* (TONIGHT)
Longest Gaps Between Two World Cup Wins (in days)
4352 - Nepal (2014-26)*
2770 - Ireland (2014-21)
2412 - Zimbabwe (2016-22)
2408 - Netherlands (2016-22)
4352 - Nepal (2014-26)*
2770 - Ireland (2014-21)
2412 - Zimbabwe (2016-22)
2408 - Netherlands (2016-22)
Player of the Match: Dipendra Singh Airee
Dipendra Singh Airee (POTM): "[What does this win mean to him] First of all, I would like to thank the fans who came from Nepal to support us. In the last World Cup, we didn't win a single match so that's why this win is special for us.
[Asked if it is one of the best days of his career] It might be one of my best innings in T20 cricket. Chasing a target, 23-ball fifty is a really good achievement.
[On the experience from a close defeat against England] This kind of chase always give motivation to the group. The last game against England has given us a few learning experiences, I think this win is very important for us.
[On low percentage of dot balls] I usually try to rotate the strike and avoid playing dot balls. My key is to keep the scoreboard moving and put the bad balls away."
[Asked if it is one of the best days of his career] It might be one of my best innings in T20 cricket. Chasing a target, 23-ball fifty is a really good achievement.
[On the experience from a close defeat against England] This kind of chase always give motivation to the group. The last game against England has given us a few learning experiences, I think this win is very important for us.
[On low percentage of dot balls] I usually try to rotate the strike and avoid playing dot balls. My key is to keep the scoreboard moving and put the bad balls away."
Richie Berrington (Scotland Captain): [Thoughts on the game] Yeah, look the atmosphere was incredible. We always knew it would be a tough game against Nepal. Especially, defending against them. A huge crowd behind them. Obviously disappointing to be on the wrong side of the game. But a lot of credit has to go to Dipendra Singh Airee, he changed the whole tempo of the game. Fairplay to him to get the man of the match today.
[On whether they were a few short at the halfway stage] I think 170 was a competitive score. I thought they bowled well in the backend of their innings. We probably did leave a few out there. But again, after the performance with the ball against England, if we could bring that again tonight, we knew we could make it difficult for them but as I said, it took just one innings to change the game for Nepal.
[On not playing a perfect game throughout the tournament] Really pleased with some of the performances that we have put in. We have shown that we can compete at this level. But there are certainly some frustrations as well. We have got ourselves in a really strong positions in 3 of those games, had we gone a bit deeper in the game and won key moments, we could have won those games. I think there could be lack of game time but there's definitely a lot we can take as a team forward.
[On their last-minute entry in the World Cup] I think our preparation was a bit different as compared to different teams. But, you know, as I said at the very start, we embraced that as a team, and when we got here, we never sort of looked back. We just saw it as another great opportunity for us to show what we can do on the world stage. Obviously, we'd have liked a few more wins and to progress through this tournament, but certainly pleased with some of the performances that we have managed to put in.
[On the exposure] It's been great that this has been a 20-team World Cup, shows more exposure and all these teams will only get stronger. Got to take every opportunity in front of us."
[On whether they were a few short at the halfway stage] I think 170 was a competitive score. I thought they bowled well in the backend of their innings. We probably did leave a few out there. But again, after the performance with the ball against England, if we could bring that again tonight, we knew we could make it difficult for them but as I said, it took just one innings to change the game for Nepal.
[On not playing a perfect game throughout the tournament] Really pleased with some of the performances that we have put in. We have shown that we can compete at this level. But there are certainly some frustrations as well. We have got ourselves in a really strong positions in 3 of those games, had we gone a bit deeper in the game and won key moments, we could have won those games. I think there could be lack of game time but there's definitely a lot we can take as a team forward.
[On their last-minute entry in the World Cup] I think our preparation was a bit different as compared to different teams. But, you know, as I said at the very start, we embraced that as a team, and when we got here, we never sort of looked back. We just saw it as another great opportunity for us to show what we can do on the world stage. Obviously, we'd have liked a few more wins and to progress through this tournament, but certainly pleased with some of the performances that we have managed to put in.
[On the exposure] It's been great that this has been a 20-team World Cup, shows more exposure and all these teams will only get stronger. Got to take every opportunity in front of us."
Rohit Paudel (Nepal Captain): "[feeling as captain] This means a lot to me. This is my second World Cup as captain. This win was very important not only to me but us as a team. The way Dipendra played was incredible.
[on the support] For them also this win was important. The crowd was already here for the England game. We didn't execute our plans but they stayed here and supported us. You can imagine when we play at home but we are playing away from home but still they came here at the Wankhede Stadium and supported us.
[on the death bowling] The way they got the start in the powerplay and middle overs. To restrict them, credit goes to our death bowling. We were trying to focus more on dot balls rather than wickets in the death overs.
[on the finish] This is not the way we wanted to play but it happened naturally. We knew Dipendra and Gulshan will finish the game for us. Dipendra has great talent and deserves the player of the match award.
[on learnings] We know to keep our nerves calm in pressure situations. Batters and bowlers are both under pressure. When you keep calm as a batter, the bowler will make a mistake.
[on the tournament] We wanted to play the way we played against England and Scotland. The games against West Indies and Italy were not according to our expectations. Great learning for us and we will only improve from here."
[on the support] For them also this win was important. The crowd was already here for the England game. We didn't execute our plans but they stayed here and supported us. You can imagine when we play at home but we are playing away from home but still they came here at the Wankhede Stadium and supported us.
[on the death bowling] The way they got the start in the powerplay and middle overs. To restrict them, credit goes to our death bowling. We were trying to focus more on dot balls rather than wickets in the death overs.
[on the finish] This is not the way we wanted to play but it happened naturally. We knew Dipendra and Gulshan will finish the game for us. Dipendra has great talent and deserves the player of the match award.
[on learnings] We know to keep our nerves calm in pressure situations. Batters and bowlers are both under pressure. When you keep calm as a batter, the bowler will make a mistake.
[on the tournament] We wanted to play the way we played against England and Scotland. The games against West Indies and Italy were not according to our expectations. Great learning for us and we will only improve from here."
A fantastic victory for Nepal as they bow out of the tournament spreading thousands of smiles around the world, proving their mettle at the big stage. A last ball heartbreak against former champions England and then a win over the experienced Scotland side at the jam packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Scotland who replaced Bangladesh a few weeks before the tournament ticked plenty of boxes winning against Italy and going down in 3 games despite keeping a high net run rate.
That's it from our coverage of a well fought games between two giants of Associate cricket. Congratulations to Nepal and all their supporters who keep inspiring with consistent performances against big sides. Be it the series win versus 2-time champions West Indies or the T20 World Cup campaign.
Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Ajay Pal Singh and scorer/analyst Paras Yadav. Stay tuned for more action from around the world.
Scotland who replaced Bangladesh a few weeks before the tournament ticked plenty of boxes winning against Italy and going down in 3 games despite keeping a high net run rate.
That's it from our coverage of a well fought games between two giants of Associate cricket. Congratulations to Nepal and all their supporters who keep inspiring with consistent performances against big sides. Be it the series win versus 2-time champions West Indies or the T20 World Cup campaign.
Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Ajay Pal Singh and scorer/analyst Paras Yadav. Stay tuned for more action from around the world.