The Nepalese team suffered a defeat against the Netherlands in the first game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The Dutch side disappointed Nepal by six wickets in a low-scoring game at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas on Tuesday.
Chasing a mere target of 107 runs, the Netherlands were 71/2 in the 13th over when a Nepalese bowler claimed two quick wickets and bowled tightly. However, Nepal made numerous errors in the field, dropping several crucial catches.
With no boundaries for 40 balls, the Netherlands needed 13 runs from the last two overs. They managed to score 15 runs in just four deliveries in the penultimate over bowled by Abinash Bohara, securing the victory. Opener Max O’Dowd stayed till the end after taking his side to victory.
For Nepal, Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee and Abinash Bohara grabbed one wicket each.
Earlier, Invited to bat first, Nepal were bowled out for just 106 runs in 19.2 overs. No batters managed to play a significant inning or build a partnership, as they lost wickets at regular intervals from the start.
Rohit Paudel top-scored with 35 runs, while Karan KC contributed a crucial 17 runs towards the end. Gulshan Jha and Anil Sah made 11 runs respectively, while the rest of the batters failed to reach double digits.
For the Netherlands, Tom Pringle was pick of the bowlers, clinching three wickets (4-0-20-3) and received Player of the match award as well. Van Beek also got three whilst van Meekeran and de Leede pocketed two each.
Nepal will play their second game against Sri Lanka in Florida on June 11. Nepal is in Group D of the tournament alongside the Netherlands, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
