Jacob Bethell made a stylish 55 off 32 balls as England beat Nepal in their tightly fought opening fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Mumbai.
England won the toss and batted first at the Wankhede Stadium, and Bethell quickly found himself at the crease after Phil Salt was dismissed by the first ball of the second over.
He was quick into his work, taking three consecutive boundaries off the over, including a six off his third ball, to take himself to 14 off four balls.
From there, he played with calmness and fluency, bringing up his half-century off 28 balls.
When he eventually fell for 55, top-edging a shot down the ground, England were well set for the remainder of their innings.
England Captain Harry Brook also passed 50 as his side set Nepal 185 to win.
It was a hard-fought run chase, with Nepal keeping up with the required rate right to the final over, where the honours fell to Sam Curran, who was named Player of the Tournament last time England won it in 2022.
Nepal needed six runs off the final ball, with Lokesh Bam on strike and hitting the ball cleanly as he accumulated 39 off 20 balls.
However, Bam could only take one down the ground, with Curran backing his skills and executing his yorkers excellently to see the game out as he defended ten runs in total off the final over and secured victory.
Liam Dawson was the pick of the bowlers on a turning pitch, claiming 2/21 from his four overs, whilst Luke Wood, Jofra Archer, Will Jacks and Curran all shared a wicket apiece.
England face the West Indies in their next fixture on Wednesday 11 February, again at the Wankhede Stadium.
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