T20 World Cup 2026: Nepal players win hearts with lovely gesture after heartbreaking loss against England

We are just into the second day of T20 World Cup 2026 but the associate nations have already made a huge statement already. Sure, there have been no upsets yet but Netherlands and USA were both in with a chance of beating Pakistan and India respectively. Even Scotland were in the chase for a while against West Indies imploding big time. Adding to the list is Nepal who stunned England in Mumbai in a thriller.

Nepal didn't win the game, but they had England rattled, make no mistake. The two-time champions had to hold their nerve and have Sam Curran to thank for a brilliant 20th over with Nepal needing 10 to win. Eventually, England won by four runs and while they would rightly enjoy a tight win, Nepal players were the ones hogging the limelight.

After putting a superb show on the field, Nepal's players went one further with a lovely gesture after the match. The Wankhede Stadium saw an attendance in excess of 17,000 - impressive numbers for a non-India game - and there was a huge section of Nepal supporters in the crowd, as has been the norm with Nepal's games across the globe.

Nepal's players were extremely composed although they would understandably be hurting deep within. Led by captain Rohit Paudel, the players took a lap around the stadium to thank the crowd that had come to watch them play. The gratitude was for everyone present but it was also a tribute to their own loyal fans.

As for the result, Nepal would be having a deja vu of the 2024 T20 World Cup when they lost by just a solitary run to South Africa. Both these performances tell us that Nepal's cricket is on the rise, especially in white-ball cricket and they arguably deserve full-member status sooner than later.