Mumbai, February 17 – Michael Jones smashed a brilliant 71 to give Scotland a strong start, but Nepal capitalized on a three-wicket burst by Sompal Kami to restrict them to 170/7 in 20 overs in Match 33 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Jones hit eight fours and two sixes in his 45-ball innings and formed crucial partnerships – 80 for the first wicket with George Munsey, and 52 for the second with Brandon McMullum – as Scotland were well on their way to a score of over 180, despite their bowlers failing to capitalize on the decision to bowl first.
However, Sompal Kami led their brilliant comeback with a double strike in the 16th over, and the team from the Himalayas, which had impressed with a magical performance against England in their opening match, bounced back in the last five overs and set themselves up for their first win in the 2026 edition of the competition.
Michael Jones gave Scotland a strong start as he and his opening partner, George Munsey, put on 80 runs for the first wicket. After two quiet overs at the start, Jones exploded into action with a four and a six off Dipendra Singh Airee in the third over. He then hit back-to-back boundaries off Nandan Yadav and continued his good form with two more fours off Sompal Kami in the fifth over.
Jones hit shots all around the ground, cutting, driving, and steering the ball as the Nepal pacers struggled to find the right length. Scotland reached 52 for no loss in the Powerplay. As their main bowlers failed to make any impression, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel brought himself on and made the breakthrough, getting Munsey to hit a reverse sweep uppishly, and Sundeep Jora completed an easy catch.
Jones, who reached his fifty off 31 balls (6x4, 2x6), and Brandon McMullen then put on 52 runs for the second wicket, with Jones hitting Lamichhane for a boundary and smashing Kushal Bhurtel for a four and six.
But just when it looked like Scotland were cruising to a massive score, Nepal reeled them in, with Sompal Kami applying the brakes with two wickets in three balls, dismissing Jones (71) with a slower ball from round the wicket and then taking a sensational one-handed catch to send McMullan (25, 19 balls, 1x4, 1x1) back to the pavilion.
Nepal continued to tighten things up as Scotland lost captain Richie Barrington (10), Tom Bruce (5), and Matthew Cross (4) in quick succession and slumped to 156/6 in the 19th over. Mark Watt then struck 10 off four balls, including a six off the last ball, to help his team reach a defendable total.
Sompal Kami was the best bowler for Nepal with 3-25, while Nandan Yadav bagged 2-34 in the backend of the innings.
Brief scores:
Scotland 170/7 in 20 overs (Michael Jones 71, George Munsey 27; Sompal Kami 3-25, Nandan Yadav 2-34) against Nepal
