Nepal

George Munsey – so often the man to provide impetus at the top of the order for Scotland – struggled to find the middle of the bat as he made 27 from 29 balls.

In contrast, Jones looked in magnificent touch as he found gaps in the off-side field and struck powerfully down the ground.

However, when Jones and Brandon McMullen (25) both fell in one Sompal Kami over, momentum evaporated.

Berrington (10) was the only other batter to reach double figures for Scotland as Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross and Leask all fell in quick succession.

Nepal’s bowlers used pace-off variations to great effect in the death overs with Kami (3-25) particularly impressive.

Mark Watt struck the final ball of the innings for six to boost Scottish hopes, but under lights on a good pitch it felt as though they were at least 10 runs short.

In reply, Nepal reached 56 without loss after a powerplay in which both openers were the beneficiaries of good fortune.

Brad Currie put down Kushal Bhurtel with a tough chance off his own bowling before Brad Wheal hit the stumps without dislodging the bails.

Wicketkeeper Cross also failed to cling on when Aasif Sheikh gloved one from Currie down the leg side.

Bhurtel (43) and Sheikh (33) were both dismissed by the ever-competitive Leask as Scotland fought back, and when the off-spinner also removed captain Rohit Paudel, Nepal were behind the eight ball.

That wicket brought Gulshan Jha to the middle with Airee in the 14th over and three sixes in consecutive balls off Olly Davidson and then Leask provided another twist.

Airee’s fast hands and faster running was the bedrock of the chase, as he rotated strike expertly and found the boundary when required to leave five required from six deliveries.

Having failed to take 10 from the final over in the defeat by England, Jha swiped Wheal for four through mid-wicket to seal a famous win for the team known as the Cardiac Kids.

Co‑hosts Sri Lanka produced a commanding display to claim a massive 105‑run victory against Oman, making it two wins from two matches at the T20 World Cup.

Rapid half-centuries from Pavan Rathnayake, Kusal Mendis and captain Dasun Shanaka helped Sri Lanka post a formidable 225 – the highest total at the 2026 tournament so far.

Associate nation Oman mustered little response with the bat as they huffed and puffed to 120-9.

Walking in with Sri Lanka at 136-3 in the 14th over, Shanaka, under pressure after recent poor form, unleashed a sensational late surge, smashing two fours and five sixes on his way to a19-ball 50.

It was the fastest fifty by a Sri Lankan in T20 internationals, surpassing his own previous mark of 20 balls against India in Pune in 2023.

Earlier, after losing openers Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara inside the powerplay, Rathnayake’s 28-ball 60 and Kusal Mendis’ composed 61 off 45 had set the perfect platform for Shanaka’s onslaught as he took them to 225-5, the second‑highest total for Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup history.

Already staring at a huge defeat at the halfway stage, only two batters reached double figures for Oman – Muhammad Nadeem and Wasim Ali.

While 40-year-old Nadeem needed 52 runs to reach his half-century and remained unbeaten on 53, Wasim departed for a 20-ball 27 as Oman fell well short of the target.

Sri Lanka, who beat Ireland by 20 runs in their opener, will take on Australia next at the same venue on Monday while Oman, who suffered their second defeat, will face Ireland in Colombo on Saturday.

None of the 15 squad members were born in Italy and only a few are fluent in the language.

Several players hold Italian passports or qualify because of a relative, and some people have baulked at the Italian Cricket Federation casting their net so wide rather than concentrating on developing more homegrown players.

South African born and South African capped (six ODIs and 16 T20Is between 2017 and 2021) all-rounder JJ Smuts will play for Italy during the tournament by dint of his marriage but has never even stepped foot in the country.

“People can have their opinion but we’ve got a real togetherness,” says captain Wayne Madsen, speaking before his side’s opening match against Scotland on Monday, which saw him dislocate his shoulder and his team soundly beaten.

The 42-year-old South African born batter is club captain at Derbyshire and has a wealth of experience with teams around the globe. Even so, this group of players has had a real effect on him.

“That heritage and the journeys that guys have gone on to get here, there’s a bond which is pretty hard to describe outside of the feeling that we get as a group,” said Madsen.

“It really is probably our biggest strength. Everyone’s got a story to tell in terms of how they got to this position and everyone’s is unique. Whether it is guys who have grown up in Italy or guys with grandparents who moved away many years ago. We’ve had some really powerful conversations, it has really bonded us.”

For Madsen and Davison, success on the pitch in this tournament is part of a wider plan to build on the growing cricketing roots in Italy.

“We want to win games and we know and believe that we can. If we can finish in the top eight, that’ll change the lives of a lot of our cricketers and put Italian cricket on the map” says Madsen.

“I think for us, the main thing is leaving a legacy in Italy and the platform to develop the game further in the country.”

Feb. 10 (UPI) — A federal appeals court has sided with the Trump administration’s effort to end deportation protections for Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, a decision that could lead to the removal of tens of thousands of people living in the United States, some of whom have called the country home for up to two decades.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a stay pending appeal on Monday, granting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s emergency request to lift a lower court’s order blocking the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for nationals of those three countries.

“A win for the rule of law and vindication for the U.S. Constitution,” Noem said in a social media statement following the ruling on Monday. “TPS was never designed to be permanent, yet previous administrations have used it as a de facto amnesty program for decades.

“Given the improved situation in each of these countries, we are wisely concluding what was intended to be a temporary designation.”

The ruling comes in a protracted case pitting the Trump administration against immigration advocates, who filed the class action lawsuit in July against the federal government’s effort to end TPS for the three countries.

Jhony Silva, a Honduran TPS holder, nursing assistant, father and a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement that he is upset with the ruling but will not stop “fighting for justice.”

“I cannot bear the thought of being separated from my family. I have lived in this country since I was a toddler and I belong here,” he said. “My child does, too.”

Established by Congress in 1990, TPS is a mechanism to shield migrants in the United States from being deported to countries experiencing war, conflict or famine, ultimately preventing Washington from deporting people into a harmful environment.

Honduras and Nicaragua were granted TPS designations in January 1999, a year after the countries were devastated by Hurricane Mitch. Nepal was granted TPS in 2015, after it was hit by a destructive earthquake.

An estimated 60,000 people from the three countries currently in the United States are protected from being deported to those three countries.

Ending TPS designations has been a prong of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration and effort to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants.

In canceling TPS protections for Nepal in June and Honduras and Nicaragua in July, Trump administration officials argued that the designation was only meant to be temporary and that conditions in the three nations have improved significantly enough that they are no longer warranted.

On July 7, the National TPS Alliance filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government, arguing the terminations were unconstitutional, arbitrary and capricious and conducted without following the necessary review process.

The National TPS Alliance argued the Trump administration’s decision to rescind TPS for the three countries was not based on a review of the conditions on the ground but on a predetermined political decision to dismantle the program, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Within that month, a district judge granted the immigration advocates a postponement of the termination, followed by the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals approving the Trump administration’s request for a stay pending appeal in mid-August.

In October, the plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment. On Dec. 31, a district judge granted the immigration advocates partial summary judgment on two of their three claims, staying the termination of the TPS designations — prompting the Trump administration to file for another emergency request with the appeals court.

In its six-page ruling, the appeals court said Monday that the federal government was likely to succeed on the merits of its appeal by either showing that the district court lacked jurisdiction to impose the stay or by prevailing on the argument that the federal government was not in violation of the APA.

“TPS holders deserve better than this,” Jessica Bansal, an attorney with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said in a statement.

“Today’s decision allows mothers, fathers, students and workers who have lived lawfully in this country for decades to be stripped of status without even acknowledging the devastation caused to them and their families or the contributions they have made to their communities.”

Available for 29 days

Mark Chapman is joined by T20 World Cup winner Tymal Mills, former England spinner Phil Tufnell and Chief Cricket Reporter Stephan Shemilt to discuss the opening few days of the World Cup.

The big news today is that Pakistan will play India in the Group match on Sunday after Pakistan’s government lifted their boycott with Bangladesh’s blessing. Wisden editor Lawrence Booth joins the panel to talk about the internal politics of world cricket.

England are off to a winning start, just, so what did we learn about Harry Brook’s captaincy? 

And are the smaller nations catching the established powers in international cricket?

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Mumbai, India — For most of a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon in Mumbai, the Wankhede Stadium felt closer to Kathmandu than India’s southern metropolis as thousands of Nepalese fans sang, danced and dared to dream while their cricket team took on the mighty England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

A sea of red and blue replica shirts heaved in every nook and corner of the iconic 33,000-capacity venue, with supporters turning the famed Indian stadium into their adopted home.

A banner, saying “Feel the Thrill” stretched across stands and captured the mood perfectly as chants, drums and Nepali tunes echoed throughout the ground.

From children arriving with flags painted on their faces to elderly supporters proudly wearing the traditional Dhaka topi – a traditional Nepalese hat – fans of all ages turned up for what felt like a cricketing festival drenched in Nepali culture.

‘We almost won’

On the pitch, Nepal’s players delivered one of their most memorable performances in recent years, with the match ending in heartbreak as the team’s spirited chase fell agonisingly short on the final ball.

With the odds stacked heavily against them, Nepal walked out to face two-time champions England fully aware of the vast gulf in experience and pedigree compared to their opponents.

They hoped, though, that their hunger, intensity and fearless approach to the game could keep them firmly in the contest.

Chasing a challenging target of 185, the Rhinos proved why they are one of the most promising teams in associate cricket, as Lokesh Bam’s late heroics, coupled with Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee’s onslaughts, pushed the contest to the last ball.

“We almost won but couldn’t go through because the players lack experience,” Nepal fan Subodh Dhakal, who travelled from Kathmandu, told Al Jazeera. “Experience will come with time, but the team played well.”

Dhakal, a doctor and passionate Nepal supporter, planned a quick two-day trip to attend the match with his wife, after watching the Nepal Premier League – the domestic league whose growth has been central to the nation’s progress in the sport.

Like Dhakal, Satyam Pokhrel also made his way to Mumbai from the Nepalese capital. Joined by a group of friends, Pokhrel revealed his plans to stay for the remaining three Nepal games, all of which are scheduled at the same venue.

“Nepal had a really good chance [to win], but were unlucky,” he said. “The match was very close; I’m proud of the team. They showed great energy and are capable of winning the upcoming games.”

Sunday’s heroics against England were not the first time Nepal troubled stronger opponents. Five months before the World Cup, they beat the West Indies 2-1 in a three-match series — their first bilateral series victory over a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) — while in 2024 they came within a run of upsetting South Africa at the T20 World Cup.

Nepal’s debut at the tournament, in 2014, led to a famous win over a highly-rated Afghanistan team.

‘Don’t count us out’

For many in the stands, being part of the atmosphere required journeys just as memorable as the match itself.

Bhuvan Rawal travelled from Tikapur in far-western Nepal, spending three days on the road to reach Mumbai by bus.

“I wasn’t bothered by the time or money taken to come here. Watching Nepal play at a World Cup is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” said the 26-year-old.

“I’ve come with around 200 to 300 supporters from Nepal. We were aware of the match schedule since last year and were excited to be at Wankhede Stadium… Mumbai is our second home now!”

Rawal, who played cricket in his younger years and works as a gym trainer, believes lowly-ranked teams such as Nepal aren’t just here to make up the numbers at the expanded 20-team T20 World Cup.

“We may be a small country, but Nepal is very beautiful and can play wonderful cricket. I understand there’s a difference between full ICC members and associate teams, but don’t count us out.

“No team is too small to challenge the giants,” he said.

Lokesh Bam’s late heroics with the bat are not enough as Nepal are beaten by two-time champions in their Group C match in Mumbai.

Nepal were left heartbroken after they came agonisingly close to pulling off a massive T20 World Cup upset against England but fell short by four runs as the two-time champions won the Group C match in Mumbai.

Lokesh Bam’s heroics with the bat – 39 runs off 20 balls – were not enough to see Nepal over the line at the Wankhede Stadium, which was packed with Nepalese fans on Sunday.

Nepal finished on 180-6, handing England a nervy win to kick off their campaign in the controversy-hit cricket tournament.

When England’s captain Harry Brook (53) and teammate Jacob Bethell (55) hit fifties to power England to 184-7, they seemingly did enough to take the match out of Nepal’s reach.

But Rohit Paudel produced a captain’s innings of his own as he, alongside star all-rounder Dipendra Singh Airee, put Nepal on course for a shock win.

The pair’s departure slowed down Nepal’s progress, but Lokesh resumed the big hitting against some wayward bowling by England’s seamers.

Needing 10 off the last over, the Rhinos were unable to get Sam Curran’s accurate bowling over the boundary and could only score six runs.

The Rhinos’ fans, hundreds of whom had travelled from across the border, were left disheartened.

Earlier, electing to bat at the Wankhede Stadium, England slumped to 57-3 in the seventh over to find themselves in a spot of bother.

Sher Malla struck with the first ball on his World Cup debut, dismissing Phil Salt for one, and the pressure mounted on England after Jos Buttler and Tom Banton fell in quick succession.

Bethell had no problem adjusting to the nature of the track, where other batters found shot-making difficult. He and Brook combined in a 71-run partnership during their 45-ball collaboration to rebuild their innings.

Airee (44) and skipper Paudel (39) kept Nepal in the hunt with a stand of 82 from 54 balls.

Curran brought relief to the English camp when he had Airee caught in the deep and Paudel also departed soon afterwards.

Bam hit Jofra Archer for back-to-back sixes to turn the match on its head.

With Nepal needing 10 runs off the last over from Curran, Bam needed to hit the last ball for a six, but he managed only one as England heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Who: England vs Nepal
What: 2026 ICC T20 World Cup
Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India
When: Sunday, February 8, at 3pm (09:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 06:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

England are undoubtedly among the frontrunners to lift the T20 World Cup title, but, unlike years gone by, they do not start as one of the red-hot favourites.

Despite his undoubted ability with the bat, questions surround the captaincy of Harry Brook, while English cricket as a whole is licking its wounds following recent woes – including the Ashes humiliation in Australia.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at their open against Nepal.

What have England said about the pressure on Brooks?

All-rounder Will Jacks said on Friday that under-fire England T20 captain Harry Brook had “100 percent” support from the players after going through a “tough time”.

The 26-year-old Brook, in charge at a global tournament for the first time, has recently been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

He had to apologise last month for being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer during England’s white ball tour of New Zealand last year, something that had been a “terrible mistake”.

Jacks has been close to Brook since they were roommates with England Under-19s.

“Obviously, it’s been a tough time, and that’s been well documented in the media,” Jacks told reporters before team training in Mumbai on the eve of the tournament.

“I wasn’t actually in New Zealand, so I didn’t know anything about it.

“He’s obviously made the wrong decision, but he’s accepted that. He’s obviously making amends on the pitch, and we all back him 100 percent.”

Brook, a richly gifted run-scorer, has an early chance to shift the focus back onto his batting in England’s opening match against Nepal in Mumbai on Sunday.

“He wants his cricket to do the talking,” said Jacks.

What is England and Brook’s T20 form before the World Cup?

England come into the World Cup in good form in T20, heartened by a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka – one of the tournament co-hosts – this week.

In the preceding ODI series against the same opposition, the explosive Brook bludgeoned 136 off just 66 balls.

“It’s not so much we are taking momentum from that, but team unity, feeling strong within ourselves,” said Jacks.

“We have been performing well over the last 12 months, since Harry’s become captain, and we’re very happy with that.

“What we did in the last few weeks in Sri Lanka is another stepping stone.”

Who else is in England and Nepal’s group?

England are expected to make the Super Eight stage from a Group C that also features two-time winners West Indies, debutants Italy and Scotland.

“We come into here full of confidence and belief that we can go a long way in this tournament.

“But that doesn’t guarantee us anything. We know that there’s amazing teams in this World Cup.”

“India, on home soil, I think everyone knows who’s favourites.”

What is England’s T20 World Cup record?

England are the joint-record winners of the T20 World Cup with two trophy lifts to their name, alongside West Indies and holders India.

Paul Collingwood captained the English to the third edition of the competition, before Jos Buttler’s side sealed their second win in 2022.

What is Nepal’s T20 World Cup record?

Nepal made their debut at the 2014 edition of the competition, but had to wait until the West Indies and US co-hosted tournament in 2024 to make a second appearance.

On both occasions, the Nepalese were eliminated at the first stage, with 12th- and 17th-placed rankings.

Salt passed fit for England’s opener

Hard-hitting batsman Phil Salt was passed fit as England named their team on Saturday for their first match in the T20 World Cup.

He will open the batting alongside wicketkeeper Jos Buttler against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday in Group C.

Salt missed Tuesday’s third T20 against Sri Lanka with a back spasm, but trained successfully on Friday and will take his place at the top of the order.

Tom Banton, fresh from a sparkling 54 off 33 balls against Sri Lanka five days ago, is preferred to Ben Duckett and will bat at number four.

Left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood gets the nod ahead of Jamie Overton and joins express man Jofra Archer and Sam Curran in the seam attack.

England have opted to have four spinners at their disposal, with spearheads Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson backed up by all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.

England’s starting lineup

Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood

England squad

Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt (captain), Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

Nepal squad

Rohit Paudel (captain), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wicketkeeper), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav