T20 WC: Sher Malla becomes second Nepal bowler to take first-ball wicket on T20 debut

Mumbai: Young pacer Sher Malla etched his name into cricketing history by becoming only the second Nepal bowler to claim a wicket off the very first delivery of his T20 career during Nepal’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 clash against England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.

Malla achieved the feat after extracting an edge out of England opener Phil Salt, who was returning to the side after injury, in the first ball of the second over.

Malla joined former Nepal captain Paras Khadka in an exclusive club, with Khadka being the first to achieve the feat when he dismissed Irfan Ahmed off the opening ball of his T20 career against Hong Kong in 2014.

After giving a blow to England on his first ball, Malla was expensive throughout the match, as he gave out 35 runs in just three overs; he bowled with a wicket to his name.

Speaking of the match, England recovered after a shaky start with the help of a composed partnership between T20 World Cup debutant Jacob Bethell and captain Harry Brook. The duo added 71 runs for the third wicket.

Bethell went on to score 55, while Brook added 53. They were supported by the player of the match, Will Jacks, who provided a strong finish with a 39-run knock off just 18 balls, ensuring England reached a challenging score of 184/7 in 20 overs.

Nepal responded with a fighting chase led by captain Rohit Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee, who put England under pressure with a key middle-order partnership. Paudel and Dipendra Singh built a strong partnership, followed by a late assault by Lokesh Ram, which helped Nepal come close to registering their first win in the T20 World Cup. However, Sam Curran bowled an excellent final over, defending 10 runs to guide England to victory in a thrilling encounter.

Nepal will play their next T20 World Cup group stage match against Italy at the same ground on February 12.

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