Mumbai, Feb 12
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel admitted his side was thoroughly outplayed after they suffered a 10-wicket defeat to Italy in their second match in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
"I think Italy outplayed us today, and in batting, I think we missed out, especially. That was not a 123 wicket. I thought we missed out on that. And it was tough early. Earlier, it was tough to bat, but still, I think 123 was not a disgrace," he said in the post-match presentation.
Nepal were bowled out for 123 in 19.3 overs before Italy chased down the target in just 12.4 overs without losing a wicket, courtesy of an unbeaten 124-run opening stand between Justin and Anthony Mosca. This is Nepal's second ten-wicket defeat in T20Is after losing against the West Indies in the same way in 2025.
The Nepal skipper felt his side let the game slip during the middle overs despite a steady Power-play. "We were looking at around 61, 70, and we batted very poorly, and there's no way to accept that. I thought we didn't respect the conditions. It was tough in the beginning, and we played a few rash shots, and I think my wicket was the turning point."
Paudel, who had stitched together a good partnership after an early setback, believed his dismissal shifted the momentum entirely. Skipper scored 23 runs in 14 balls. He was looking in great touch from the start.
"We had a good partnership, we played well in the Power-play and then when I got out, suddenly things started changing. So I thought that was the turning wicket and we could have done better than that," he said.
Nepal had entered the contest high on confidence after an impressive performance against England in their previous match, but Paudel admitted the inconsistency was disappointing.
"I thought as a team we are growing, and to see the England highs and then suddenly not turning up in today's game, I thought that was a little disappointment. A team going like a team like us, we need to be more consistent, and today was the day to prove that, but not taking away the credit from Italy. They played really well today, and credit must go to them."
After two losses in their opening matches, Nepal will now face the West Indies in a do-or-die match on February 15 at the same ground.
- IANS
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