Nepal had to get to a winning start against the Netherlands in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Championship to build early momentum and consolidate their position in the group on Tuesday.
However, their efforts went in vain as they crashed to a six wicket defeat. Prior to the match, there was an air of optimism and supporters believed that their team stood a good chance to triumph.
Contrary to high expectations, Nepal underperformed and fell well short to concede the match much to everyone’s dismay.
For Nepal it was like playing at home with the stadium packed overwhelmingly with their supporters. Unfortunately they failed to take advantage of the support.
Given the batting friendly pitch, a solid performance by the batters was the need of the hour.
The outfit batting first needed to score anywhere between 190 to 200 runs in order to put themselves in a strong position and apply pressure on the opposition in their run chase.
The Netherlands opted to field after winning the toss and their decision paid rich dividends as they restricted the opposition to a measly total of 106.
The bowlers did their job well from start to finish, fully exploiting the fragile and inconsistent batting. They scalped wickets at regular intervals not allowing partnerships to flourish.
Defending a paltry total was never going to be easy for Nepali bowlers. They did everything to turn the tide in their favor but to no avail.
There was a ray of hope in the early part of the innings when the bowlers took a couple of quick wickets and had the opponent on the ropes ,however, the batters got on top in the later stages and walked away with the match.
Nepal’s batting woes once again came to the fore. The top-order buckled like a house of cards with the sole exception of skipper Rohit Paudel who scored 35 runs.
The batters did not show any semblance of a fight back. They totally failed to build partnerships and steady the innings.
They struggled to maintain their focus, composure and confidence. A majority of them threw away their wickets at crucial junctures playing rash shots.
They lacked application, good shot selection and patience. Additionally, poor footwork and laid back approach also contributed towards their downfall.
Making matters worse, they were unable to bat through the allocated 20 overs.
Had it not been a brief onslaught by Gulshan Jha(14) and Karan KC(17), the total could have been a lot smaller.
Furthermore, Nepal’s fielding was subpar and sloppy. They dropped three crucial catches which ultimately drove the final nail in their coffin.
I have maintained all along that the team’s success will be largely determined by the batting performance.
Things are bound to go downhill for Head Coach Monty Desai boys if there is no improvement in batting going forward .
Nepal next plays lackluster Sri Lanka who were demolished by South Africa on June 11th in Florida.
If they can get their act together in every department of the game they have a very good chance to prevail against Sri Lanka. The key is stepping up, performing to full potential and delivering the goods.
