Young cricketer Sher Malla made history as only the second Nepali bowler to take a wicket off his first T20 delivery during Nepal’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 game against England at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Malla’s achievement came from dismissing England’s Phil Salt with the first ball of the second over. Former Nepal captain Paras Khadka was the first to accomplish this feat back in 2014 by dismissing Irfan Ahmed on his T20 debut.
In the match, Malla, despite his early success, proved costly by conceding 35 runs in three overs while managing to take one wicket. England, after a shaky start, recovered thanks to a solid partnership between debutant Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook, who added 71 runs for the third wicket. Bethell scored 55, Brook contributed 53, and Will Jacks, named player of the match, finished with a quick 39 off 18 balls, helping England post a competitive total of 184/7 in 20 overs.
In response, Nepal fought back with a strong chase led by captain Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee, who pressured England with a crucial middle-order partnership. Despite their efforts, a late surge by Lokesh Ram fell short, as Sam Curran’s excellent final over secured England’s victory by defending 10 runs in a thrilling finish. Nepal’s next T20 World Cup group stage match is against Italy at the same venue on February 12.
