Nepal pacer reacts to Dale Steyn offering his services following jaw-dropping fight against England: ‘He ruled cricket’

Here's what Nepal pacer Nandan Yadav had to say about Dale Steyn offfering his services to the team.

Nepal, led by Rohit Paudel, came ever so close to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Harry Brook's England were under the cosh for the bulk of the contest, and it was only Sam Curran who stepped up with the ball to help the two-time champions escape with a narrow four-run win. With 10 needed in the final over, it seemed Lokesh Bam would seal the deal as he was striking the ball like nobody's business. However, Curran showed his experience, bowling pitch-perfect yorkers that the Nepal batters found it tough to get away.

Dale Steyn was in awe of Nepal's performance against England in the T20 World Cup 2026. (AFP)

After suffering a four-run loss, the entire Nepal team looked dejected, but the side didn't forget to thank the crowd, which turned up in huge numbers at the Wankhede. According to the Mumbai Cricket Association, the official turnout for the fourth match of the T20 World Cup 2026 was 17,008, and most of them were Nepal fans, as they travelled from Kathmandu to see the ‘Cardiac Kids’ play.

After the game, former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Nepal on the performance. However, he went one step ahead, saying he would always offer his services to the team if the management ever needed it.

“Nepal. I offer my services to you if you ever need em! Up, up and UP,” he wrote on X.

At the post-match press conference, Nepal pacer Nandan Yadav was asked about Steyn's offer, and the former was left speechless, realising the enormity of someone like Steyn applauding Nepal cricket's potential.

“So that's a big thing for us. Someone, some legend, like he ruled the cricket for 10 years, and he is tweeting something like this. But it's like the can management team, so we can't approach him. Maybe we can, so I don't know how to answer this one,” he told reporters during the post-match press conference on Sunday.

How did the match unfold?

The match between England and Nepal saw Brook winning the toss and opting to bat. The Three Lions posted 184/7 in 20 overs, owing to half-centuries by Jacob Bethell and Brook. Will Jacks also played a useful 39-run cameo off just 18 balls to help England get past the 180-run mark.

Nepal then fell just four runs short, finishing at 180/6. Dipendra Singh Airee top-scored with 44 runs, and he kept the side in the game by stitching a partnership of 82-run stand for the third wicket with skipper Paudel. However, it was Lokesh who brought Nepal back into the contest, with his 39-run blitz.

In the final over, Nepal seemed favourites to win as only 10 runs were required, but Curran displayed composure to nail the yorkers to seal the win for England.