Former South African fast bowler Dale Steyn offered his support to underdogs Nepal after their impressive performance against England in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 opener at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Nepal came close to chasing 185, falling just five runs short, challenging England with a fiery display. Steyn, impressed by their effort, wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Nepal, I offer my services to you if you ever need ’em! Up, up and UP.”

Chasing 185, Nepal started aggressively. Openers Kushal Bhurtel and wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh put on a 37-run opening stand. Liam Dawson dismissed Sheikh for seven off nine balls.

In the final over of the powerplay, Bhurtel scored 29 off 17 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and a six, before losing his wicket. Nepal reached 42 for 2 in 5.2 overs. Rohit Paudel scored 39 off 34 balls, including two fours and two sixes, before getting out. Nepal stood at 126 for 4 in 15.3 overs.

Aarif Sheikh fell to Jofra Archer for 10 off eight balls, leaving Nepal five wickets down. Lokesh Bam struck consecutive sixes off Archer, bringing Nepal within reach with 24 runs needed from the last two overs.

Mark Wood gave away 14 runs in the 19th over but removed Gulsan Jha for one, leaving Nepal needing 10 runs from the final over. Sam Curran bowled the last over and conceded five runs. Nepal fell just short of the target.

Lokesh Bam shone for Nepal, scoring 39 off 20 balls with four boundaries and two sixes, showing the team’s fighting spirit and potential in the tournament.

In the first two days, three associate teams challenged major sides. Netherlands almost defeated Pakistan before Faheem Ashraf scored 24 runs in 19th over to secure the win. The USA challenged India, restricting them to 161. 

The USA had India struggling at 70 for 6, but Suryakumar Yadav scored 84 off 49 balls to help India post a competitive total. India won by 29 runs as the USA finished with 132.