Was Nepal the real winner against England at T20 World Cup? Their fight reminded us why we love cricket
Nepal may have lost to England by 4 runs, but their courage & spirit won hearts in Mumbai
Mumbai: They say sport is the biggest leveler in life. And I saw it yesterday when the proverbial underdog Nepal went toe-to-toe with England. They lost by four runs, and that last over gave us all a near heart attack.
But the thing that really stayed with me was the Nepali fans. Thousands of them had come out to support their team and stayed right till the very end. A standing ovation. Nothing like watching two teams give it their all.
While we all know who technically won, I want to talk about how the fans and players showed so much grace even in defeat. That’s really all anyone wants — to see two teams give it everything.
Honestly, most of us thought England would just steamroll Nepal. We were at the ICC hospitality suite with Marriott Bonvoy and even joked about whether we’d have time for sundowners after the match. But Nepal surprised us in the best way.
Lokesh Bam hitting 39 off 20 balls was a joy to watch. And after the game, the players went around the field thanking their fans — the pride and respect in that moment was palpable.
Gulf News was also given exclusive access to their practice session, and you could see the intensity of every Nepali player in the nets. England, as usual, chose to play football to warm-up before cricket, while Nepal were huddling, pairing up to practice bowling and batting. Every minute of that session mattered to them.
Who says cricket is just a game? It’s an emotion.
Memes later said history will remember how Nepal made England surrender, a team known for Bazball and a never-give-up attitude, forced into survival mode. Nepal controlled the middle overs brilliantly, slowing the run flow and building pressure with dot balls and sharp fielding. England weren’t chasing runs, they were chasing control.
The reception from India was resounding too. Sanjay Manjrekar tweeted about Nepal’s fighting spirit and natural flair. Yuvraj Singh wrote huge respect to Nepal for staying in the fight till the very last ball. Irfan Pathan said the finishing touches were missing, but Nepal are clearly on the right path. Dale Steyn even offered his services if Nepal ever needed them.
What struck me most was the respect they earned. Normally in close matches, fans can get angry, but here it was just applause. Nepal taught everyone how to handle defeat with grace.
They don’t have the support system like England does, and maybe there’s still a colonial hangover in how we measure success, always focusing on winning rather than how bravely a team fought.
They didn’t win the match. But they won something else. They won respect. They won hearts. And honestly, they might have won the future. Here’s to Nepal for reminding us why cricket can be an exhilarating game, if both give it their best shot.
