T20 WC: 'Boys gave it all, I am very proud,' says Nepal's Paudel

'Boys gave it all': Nepal captain proud despite loss

Nepal captain Rohit Paudel expressed pride in his team's performance after their thrilling four-run defeat against England in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Speaking during the post-match presentation, Paudel said, "I think the boys gave it all. I am very proud of them. We had the belief when we came to this World Cup. We didn't come here just to participate. The result didn't go our way but effort-wise we gave 100% in every department. Last over of Sam Curran bowled really well. We will improve from there," as quoted by Cricbuzz.

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He added, "We were calculating. We wanted to have wickets in hand with 10 runs per over in the last few overs. It wasn't a plan to take on Adil Rashid and it just happened. We will not take any team lightly. We as a team need to be at our 100%. They are very passionate. The whole of Kathmandu, Nepal came here to support us. I think all of Nepal will be proud of us."

England captain praises Nepal's spirited fight

During the post-match presentation, England captain Harry Brook praised his team's collective performance following their narrow win over Nepal. "It wasn't easy at all, thankfully got over the line. They played extremely well and not many teams take on Adil Rashid like they did. I thought we were in a very good position to defend that. I wish them all the best for the rest of the comp," Brook said.

He added, "Bethell played outstanding, the way he was rocking back and hitting the spinners into the stands was great. I just said we put 2-3 wickets and it all changes. We have so many options. I don't think Sam bowled until a lot later. Rashid got a tap there and it's not often that he doesn't bowl four overs. I am sure he will bounce back. He knew exactly what he was going to bowl."

'Full credit to Nepal': Player of the Match

After winning the Player of the Match award, England's Will Jacks lauded Nepal for their spirited performance. "I think full credit to Nepal. They were absolutely brilliant. We saw that this was tricky when we batted, but they played against us really very well and they really took us close there. They played brilliantly," Jacks said.

Reflecting on his own batting, he added, "It's nice to spend some time in the middle. I've been a bit short over the last month or so and by keeping it simple, the guys in the middle have described to me what it's like out there, so just let the ball come, nice and easy to do it. I think you don't get the answer to that one. It was very tough as hell."

Match Recap: England clinch thriller

England narrowly defeated Nepal by four runs in a T20 World Cup match full of twists and turns.

For Three Lions, Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook contributed with crucial half-centuries, while Jos Buttler climbed past Mahela Jayawardene to become the third-highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history. Nepal's chase was powered by strong partnerships from Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee, but England's bowlers struck at crucial moments, leaving the underdogs just short of the target.