(ESPNCRICINFO) – Nepal ended a 12-year wait for a third T20 World Cup win, concluding their 2026 campaign with a riotously received victory over Scotland in Mumbai. Sompal Kami, the only man still around from their maiden appearance at the 2014 World T20, provided the inspiration with the ball before Dipendra Singh Airee skewered a valiant Scotland performance with an unbeaten 50 off 23 to seal a high-octane chase.
Not for nothing are Nepal known as the “Cardiac Kids”, and this game – on which nothing was riding other than national pride and bragging rights – swung heart-stoppingly from side to side throughout. Scotland made the early running with an opening stand of 80, Michael Jones in regal touch, but stumbled through the second half of the innings as Kami’s double-wicket intervention sparked a slow-motion collapse.
In reply, Nepal’s openers provided similar platform before they slipped from 74 for 0 to 98 for 3 on the back of Michael Leask’s three-for, to the dismay of another heavily Nepal-supporting crowd at the Wankhede. At the end of the 14th over, they needed 71 from 36 balls.
Enter Airee, the dynamic allrounder and one of the totems of Nepal’s recent successes. He struck four fours and three sixes alongside plenty of hard running – he only faced two dot balls – as the unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership with Gulsan Jha finally broke Scotland’s resolve. Jha finished unbeaten on 24 from 17 and hit the winning runs, as Nepal gained a measure of absolution for near-misses against Bangladesh, South Africa and England over the last two World Cups.
Rhinos charge
Despite a stuttering finish with the bat, Scotland’s defence started well, conceding just one boundary – a muscled six over midwicket from Kushal Bhurtel – in the first 23 balls. Brad Currie put down a tough caught-and-bowled chance off Bhurtel and Brad Wheal thought he had the opener edging behind, only for a review to confirm that the ball had flicked the leg bail (which didn’t move) on its way through.
Aasif Sheikh then hoisted Wheal for the second six of the innings, and that was the trigger for Bhurtel to pile into Mark Watt, as Scotland’s most-experienced spinner endured another off night. With Watt trying to fire the ball into the pads, Bhurtel took him for 4-6-6 – swept, slog-swept and pounded over long-on – to the shorter boundary. A top-edged sweep from Aasif also had enough to clear the man at deep backward square leg, as 23 runs came off the over. Nepal rode the momentum to finish the powerplay on top, 56 without loss.
Leask Mode enabled
Oliver Davidson helped rein in the scoring with two overs that cost just nine, but it was the introduction of Leask, the 35-year-old veteran of five T20 World Cups, that brought Scotland back into the contest. His first ball broke the opening stand, as Bhurtel scuffed a top edge to midwicket where Tom Bruce took a good running catch.
