Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 18 (ANI): Scotland's captain Richie Berrington credited Nepal's batter Dipendra Singh Airee and the team's bowling unit after Nepal scripted history and clinched their first-ever T20 World Cup win by defeating Scotland in the 2026 edition at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. Berrington also hailed the Associate teams who have made a mark on the world stage in the ongoing 20-team tournament.

Scotland, who made 171 in the first innings, lost to Nepal by seven wickets after Dipendra's unbeaten 23-ball 50 guided the Asian team home in 19.2 overs.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Berrington admitted Nepal's bowlers made scoring difficult in the final overs of the Scotland batting innings, restricting them to what they felt was a competitive but slightly under-par total. He said they were confident after their strong bowling display against England, but credited Dipendra Singh Airee for a match-changing innings that shifted the momentum and ultimately made the difference.

'A lot of credit to Nepal for the way they bowled in the back end of our batting innings. They made it really tough to get boundaries away in those last few overs. I think when we came off, we thought 170 was a competitive score, but we know we probably left a few runs out there. But I think after seeing the way we bowled against England, we knew if we brought that again, we were still in with a really good chance of winning that game.

So I think a lot of credit has to go to Dipendra, the way he played today. It was a fantastic knock. He changed the whole momentum of that innings and we've seen him do it a few times now. So, yeah, as I say, we have to give him a lot of credit for the way he played today,' the Scotland captain said.

Berrington also praised the 20-team World Cup format and said Associate nations have once again proven they can compete on the global stage. He said that regular exposure and more matches against top teams are crucial for growth, adding that Scotland have shown they are capable of competing at that level.

'I think it's fantastic that we've seen another 20-team World Cup. I think no surprise that the associates have shown once again what they can do on the world stage. I think for us, we just need more exposure to this, playing the bigger teams. More fixtures against them is only going to make us better. Pleasing thing for me is we've shown once again that we can compete at that level. So again, it's just having that exposure to that is only going to help us move forward as a team,' he added.

Coming to the match, Scotland started their innings on a strong note. They raced away to 52/0 in the powerplay. However, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel broke the 80-run stand between Michael Jones and George Munsey after he removed Munsey for 27 off 29 balls, with four boundaries during the last ball of the 10th over.

Scotland kept up the scoring rate, piling 131/1 in 15 overs. Michael Jones kept Scotland on the offensive for the most part with a standout innings of 71 off 45 balls, with the help of eight fours and three sixes.

However, things changed pretty quickly for Scotland, after experienced Sompal Kami brought Nepal back into the contest with two wickets in the 16th over. After he castled Jones, Kami took a brilliant return catch to remove Brandon McMullen (25) as Scotland slumped to 133/3. In the last five overs, Scotland scored 39 runs and somehow reached 170/7. For Nepal, Kami finished with 3/25 in his four overs.

Chasing 171, Nepal's openers began their chase on a superb note. Openers Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh amassed 56 runs in the first six overs to ease their side into the chase.

Michael Leask broke the opening partnership between Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh to bring Scotland back into the game. The opening duo added 74 runs off 9.1 overs before Leask managed to induce a miscued shot off Bhurtel (43).

Dipendra Singh Airee (50* off 24 balls, with four boundaries and three fours) and Gulsan Jha (24* off 17 balls, with one four and two sixes) stitched a match-winning 73-run stand for the fourth wicket to help Nepal chase down the target in 19.2 overs. (ANI)