Tasked with chasing a stiff target after half-centuries from Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook, Nepal came out swinging. Kushal Bhurtel set the tone by hitting three boundaries in four balls off Jofra Archer, before Dependra Singh Airee and Rohit Pandel’s  superb stand – worth 82 off 54 balls – left 62 runs required off the final six overs.

When both men fell in the space of eight balls, the game looked as good as done. But nobody told Bam, who hit consecutive streaky boundaries off Curran before launching Archer for two towering sixes. Luke Wood’s 19th over cost 14 runs as he struggled to find his line, slashed away for two more boundaries by Bam, leaving ten required off the last.

But Curran stuck to his yorker plan at the death, leaving Bam needing to clear the ropes off the last ball. He could only toe-end it out to deep extra cover, and England celebrated a nerve-jangling win. It was more heartbreak for Nepal, after their one-run defeat to South Africa in St Vincent in the 2024 edition of this tournament, but they ran England incredibly close.

Will Jacks was named player of the match, dismissing Bhurtel and belting 39 not out from No. 7, including three final-over sixes to end England’s innings on a high note. The contrast with Nepal’s run chase was evident and Paudel must have rued his decision to return to his seamers at the death, leaving the effective Airee’s fourth over unused.

“The whole of Nepal came here to support us,” Paudel said after a heart-breaking defeat. “It’s great to see them here and that motivates us: when we went to the ground, we carry your hopes, we carry your belief. Today, we gave everything, and all of Nepal will be very proud of us.”

England came into this World Cup riding high after a 3-0 series win in Sri Lanka, but looked off the pace with the ball. Liam Dawson, finally playing his first match at an ICC event aged 35, was the exception, taking 2 for 21 from his four overs, but Archer and Adil Rashid – usually England’s bankers – were uncharacteristically expensive as Nepal took them down.

Paudel and Airee built steadily, running hard between the wickets and seizing on any width. Airee was strong on the sweep and reverse, while Paudel hoisted Rashid over midwicket for a slog-swept six. Nepal were slightly behind the required rate for most of the innings, but never let it creep past 12 runs per over.

The pair took 19 runs off Rashid’s third over, the 14th of the innings, as England’s legspinner went wicketless for the first time in 25 T20Is. Paudel clattered a drag-down for six, Airee drilled him through the covers, and then played the shot of the night when reverse-slog-sweeping him over point.

Both men were caught in the deep in quick succession, Airee holing out to cover off Curran and Paudel brilliantly held by a diving Salt at midwicket off Dawson. But Bam was rewarded for his attacking intent, slamming two slower balls for six during Archer’s 22-run final over, and taking the game right down to the wire.

England looked to exploit the fielding restrictions on a pitch that they expected would slow down as the day wore on, but lost three wickets within the first 6.1 overs. On each occasion, a Nepal bowler struck inside the first three balls of their first over, perhaps benefitting from the fact that they had never previously come up against England in any international match.

Neither England opener made it out of the powerplay. Sher Malla, the debutant offspinner, sparked wild celebrations when his first ball was top-edged to short fine leg by Salt, while Jos Buttler fiddled Nandan Khan’s length ball behind for 26, just as he looked like he was about to take the game away from Nepal.

Tom Banton, preferred to Ben Duckett at No. 4 after a strong series in Sri Lanka, was given an early life when Malla put down a caught-and-bowled chance in his follow-through off the final delivery of the powerplay. But he did not make Malla pay for his drop, and was trapped lbw by Sandeep Lamichhane off the very next ball of the innings to leave England 57 for 3.