An embattled Harry Brook will hope England can shift attention firmly back to cricket when the two-time champions open their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Nepal in Wellington on Sunday.

Brook leads a formidable England side that has enjoyed a strong run in the T20I format, but the build-up to the tournament has been overshadowed by an off-field incident involving the skipper at a Wellington nightclub during the pre-Ashes tour. The episode became a talking point at the captains’ press conference, with Brook addressing questions, while all-rounder Will Jacks also faced queries during England’s pre-match media interaction on Friday.

“I wasn’t actually in New Zealand, so I don’t know much about it,” Jacks said. “It’s one of those situations where he’s accepted that he made a wrong decision and is trying to move forward positively.”

“He knows what he’s done, and there’s no point dwelling on it. From his perspective, he wants his cricket to do the talking,” Jacks added.

Away from the off-field noise, England arrived at the World Cup as one of the teams to beat. They enjoyed a near-perfect build-up, winning 11 of their 17 T20Is last year while losing just two. With explosive batting depth and versatility across departments, England are capable of both setting and chasing daunting totals.

Placed in Group C alongside debutants Italy, Nepal, Scotland and the West Indies, England know they cannot afford a slow start. However, bowling under dewy conditions could pose a challenge, and the onus will be on experienced campaigners like Adil Rashid to provide control and breakthroughs.

For Nepal, the opener presents another chance to announce itself on the global stage. They came agonizingly close to upsetting South Africa in the previous edition, losing by just one run, and also bowled out Bangladesh for 106. More recently, Nepal stunned two-time champions West Indies with a 2-1 T20I series win, a result that has further boosted their confidence.

Nepal have also impressed in multi-nation events, reaching the final of a tri-series involving the Netherlands and Scotland, as well as the summit clash of a T20I quadrangular tournament featuring Qatar, Hong Kong and Kuwait.

With momentum on their side, Nepal will be eager to test England early and threaten an upset in the tournament opener.

(By PTI Inputs)