England begin their T20 World Cup campaign at the Wankhede against Nepal, who they have never met in a T20I. Ranked third in the ICC men’s T20I rankings, they are widely regarded as well-rounded, and their build-up has been encouraging, including a clean sweep of Sri Lanka in Pallekele with two rain-affected DLS wins and a 12-run victory in the last match, plus a series win over New Zealand. Phil Salt has 394 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 173.56, Jos Buttler 250 in ten at 177.3, Adil Rashid 15 wickets in eight and Liam Dawson 11 in eight.
England’s Wankhede record is two wins and two losses, including the 2016 World Cup final defeat, but with Harry Brook captaining they are clear favourites.
Nepal won every match in the group stage and Super Six rounds of the Asia & EAP Qualifier, with wins over Japan, Samoa, Oman, Qatar and the UAE, including a 124-run win against Samoa and a one-run win over the UAE. Aasif Sheikh has 280 runs in nine matches, Kushal Bhurtel 258 in ten, and Sandeep Lamichhane 13 wickets at an economy of 5.32, with Lalit Rajbanshi on eight.
