England have reached the subcontinent and are preparing for the World Cup with two white-ball series in Sri Lanka. However, the 2022 champions will enter the World Cup under their new captain, and the England vs NEP match will mark the start of their World Cup proceedings.
The following article contains a detailed preview of the England vs Nepal T20 World Cup match. The article will include details of head-to-head records, their probable playing XI and weather and pitch report at Wankhede Stadium as well as live streaming of the game.
ENG vs NEP T20 World Cup Match Preview:
Match date: The England vs Nepal match will be played on Saturday 8 February.
venue: This match will be held at Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai.
Time: The match is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM IST.
England vs NEP Squad
England team: Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethel, Jos Buttler, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tong, Luke Wood..
Nepal squad: Rohit Paudel (captain), Deependra Singh Airy, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kushal Bhurtel, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Gulshan Jha, Lalit Rajbanshi, Asif Sheikh, Sandeep Jora, Arif Sheikh, Baseer Ahmed, Sompal Kami, Sher Malla and Lokesh Bam..
England vs NEP Probable XI:
England’s playing XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Will Jacques, Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Jacob Bethel, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
Nepal playing eleven: Kushal Bhurtel, Asif Shaikh, Rohit Paudel (captain), Deependra Singh Airey, Sandeep Jora, Arif Shaikh, Gulshan Jha, Lokesh Bam, Sompal Kami, Nandan Yadav and Sandeep Lamichhane.
Key battles of England vs NEP T20 World Cup match
Phil Salt vs. Sompal Kami
English opener Phil Salt forms the most dangerous batting pair at the top of the order with Jos Buttler. These two can destroy any bowling attack and change the course of the game in the powerplay itself. Sompal Kami is the new bowler for Nepal and will play the same role in the World Cup. To give them a promising start, they need to strike within the power play.
Harry Brook vs Sandeep Lamichhane
Harry Brook has been named the English captain for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Brook will also be an important player for England’s middle order as he is the last recognized batsman in the lineup and one of the most explosive batsmen. On the other hand, Sandeep Lamichhane is the most experienced among the Nepali players and will be best able to counter Brook with his leg-spin.
Asif Sheikh vs Jofra Archer
The Nepali opener has been a scorer for them in the powerplay overs and will be crucial to a strong start to their World Cup campaign. Joffra Archer has been performing brilliantly since his return and he had a brilliant performance against Sri Lanka. It will be expected that he continues to strike for England with the new ball.
Deependra Singh Airi vs Adil Rashid
Deependra Singh has been their most consistent performer and is the most dangerous striker in Nepal’s batting lineup. Airey holds the record for the fastest T20I fifty and excels against spinners; However, Adil Rashid, with all his experience, can tempt him and force him out of his hitting arc.
Key players of England vs NEP T20 World Cup match:
England’s leading players: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson
Major players of Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Asif Shaikh, Deependra Singh Airi, Lokesh Bam and Sandeep Lamichhane.
ENG vs NEP T20 World Cup Match – Free Live Streaming and Telecast Details
TV broadcasting in India: The England vs Nepal match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network across India.
Online Live Streaming in India: ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches can be live streamed on JioStar app with an active subscription.
England vs NEP T20 World Cup Match Weather and Pitch Report – Wankhede
England vs NEP: Weather report in Mumbai
According to Accuweather, the temperature is going to be high at 33 degrees. Humidity will be high and since the match will be played in the evening, the temperature will gradually decrease as time progresses. Dew may play a role in the evening; However, the chances of rainfall are very low as per the forecast.
England vs NEP: Wankhede Cricket Stadium pitch report
The pitch at Wankhede Cricket Stadium is one of the most batsman-friendly pitches in the world. This provides a huge advantage for batsmen, especially those who like to travel by air frequently, including players like England’s Phil Salt and Harry Brook and Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airey.
The Wankhede pitch offers nothing to spin bowlers; However, it can come in handy for fast bowlers during the beginning of the innings. Wankhede’s average scoring record is around 180+; However, with some good starts, the score can go up to 220+.
England vs NEP Head-to-Head Records
Neither Nepal nor England have played a single T20 match against each other. On the other hand, they have never faced each other in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
|
statistics |
Matchbox |
England won |
NEP won |
Drag |
Tied up |
N.R. |
|
overall |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
In ICC T20 World Cup |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
last 5 t20i |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
England vs NEP T20 World Cup Match – Conclusion
England and Nepal have never played against each other in the history of the shortest format of the game. Although this will be the first official game involving these two, England will still have the upper hand due to being a better ranked team and having bigger names on the player sheet.
Also read: Washington Sundar still not fit for T20 World Cup 2026
