The hopes of the Nepalese national cricket team to advance to the Super Six stage in the Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 were shattered on Saturday after a defeat against the Netherlands. The Nepalese side were beaten by seven wickets in the must-win match.
Chasing a tiny total of 168 runs, The Dutch side achieved the feat in just 27.1 overs, losing three wickets in the process. They also ensured their position in the Super Six stage with a match still to play.
Max O’Dowd was the star of the chase, scoring 90 runs from 75 balls. He hammered eight fours and four sixes before being knocked out by Gulshan Jha. Bas de Leede scored an unbeaten 41, whereas opener Vikramjit Singh made 30.
For Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane picked up a couple of wickets.
Earlier, Nepal were wrapped up for 167 at Takashinga Sports Club after being invited to bat first. The Nepalese batters struggled to deal with the Dutch bowler’s effective use of short-ball tactics, resulting in their innings lasting only 44.3 overs
Aasif Sheikh, who walked back for a duck, was the first man to be dismissed. Kushal Bhurtel(27), Bhim Sharki (22) and Aarif Sheikh (6) were dismissed in quick intervals as Nepal were down to 66/4 in the 19th over.
Rohit Paudel top scored with 33 runs. Sandeep Lamichhane contributed vital 27 runs at the end before being dismissed by the short ball of Logan van Beek. Around six batters were dismissed by the well-executed short-pitched delivery of Dutch bowlers.
For the Netherlands, Logan van Beek registered a career-best bowling figure. He ended up with a figure of 9.3-1-24-4. Bas de Leede and Vikramjit Singh also pocketed two wickets each.
