England vs Nepal: T20 World Cup – teams, start time, lineups

Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will stage England’s opening assignment of the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday, 8 February, when Harry Brook’s side meet Nepal in a 3pm local-time (09:30 GMT) Group C clash that doubles as the tournament’s first real litmus test for the 2022 champions.

Brook, leading England at a global event for the first time, takes an unchanged XI into the contest after a 3-0 warm-up sweep in Sri Lanka convinced selectors to keep faith with the same combination that overpowered the co-hosts in Pallekele. Phil Salt, cleared on Friday following a back spasm that sidelined him for the final Sri Lanka T20, will open with wicketkeeper Jos Buttler. Tom Banton, buoyed by a 33-ball 54 in that last outing, slots in at four ahead of the skipper, while left-arm quick Luke Wood edges Jamie Overton for the third seamer’s role alongside Jofra Archer and Sam Curran. Adil Rashid and Liam Dawson head a four-pronged spin contingent that also features all-rounders Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks.

Jacks, Brook’s former Under-19 roommate, used the eve-of-tournament media session to offer unqualified backing for a captain who has spent recent weeks confronting headlines about an off-field incident in New Zealand. “He’s accepted he made the wrong decision; now he wants his cricket to do the talking,” Jacks said after training at the Wankhede. “Every one of us backs him 100 percent.”

England, hunting a record-third title to pull level with India and the West Indies, share Group C with the two-time Caribbean champions, Scotland and debutants Italy. Nepal, appearing in only their third World Cup after 2014 and 2024 exits at the first hurdle, arrive in Mumbai with skipper Rohit Paudel, leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane and seamer Karan KC among a 15-man squad aiming to spring an upset.

Al Jazeera Sport’s build-up begins at 06:30 GMT, with live text commentary streaming from the toss.

England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Harry Brook (capt), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.

Nepal squad: Rohit Paudel (capt), Aarif Sheikh, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Dipendra Singh Airee, Basir Ahamad, Kushal Bhurtel, Sundeep Jora, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Sandeep Lamichhane, Sher Malla, Lalit Rajbanshi, Nandan Yadav.

England vs Nepal, T20 World Cup, Wankhede Stadium, Sunday 8 February, 3pm IST.