Nepal narrowly missed defeating England in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener.
Nepal may have failed to get their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign off to a winning start, but they have surely gained a huge fanbase worldwide following a gritty show against England. Before their next match of the tournament, i.e. Italy vs Nepal, let’s know the story behind opener Kushal Bhurtel’s jersey number and his dream to play against one of the top cricketing nations.
The 29-year-old opened up on his dream to play against Australia. Bhurtel was hopeful for meeting Mitchell Marsh and Co. in the league stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. But as the two teams are placed in different groups, the batter has yet another reason to look forward to the Super Eights.
“Hardcore Australia fan. You won’t believe it, but when Daren Sammy hit James Faulkner for those two sixes to finish the game [in T20 World Cup 2014], I cried. It hurt. I was disappointed we weren’t in the same group. Hopefully if we make the Super Eights, who knows?” said Bhurtel to ESPN Cricinfo.
Unfortunately, even if Nepal advances to the next round of the T20 championship, they will not get to face Australia. Nevertheless, if the side continues to put up some commendable displays in the future, they might soon grab a chance to face the Aussies.
However, the right-hander also revealed idolising Australian great Ricky Ponting and choosing the jersey number 14 in honour of his inspiration. Bhurtel also noted how Nepal’s nine-run win over Afghanistan had motivated him to take up the sport.
“When Nepal beat Afghanistan in that tournament, that was the turning point for me. My interest grew. I dreamt of us playing Australia one day,” he added.
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After missing out on a historic victory over England by just five runs in their T20 World Cup 2026 opener, the team would be keen to bag two crucial points by defeating Italy in today’s fixture. The Italy vs Nepal match will begin at 3:00 PM IST (Indian Standard Time) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Bhurtel, who had amassed a fiery 17-ball 29, laced with four boundaries and a six in their first game, would also look to provide another smashing start to Nepal’s innings. A victory in this fixture will boost their qualification chances before taking on the West Indies and Scotland in the remaining group-stage matches.
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