The much-anticipated Triangular Twenty20 series featuring MMC, the Netherlands and Nepal came to a disappointing end at Lord’s cricket ground in England.
Heavy rain played havoc with the series ruining a day of absorbing and exciting cricket. The umpires called off the finale between the Netherlands and Nepal following a heavy downpour,much to the chagrin of Nepali fans who turned up in big numbers.
Although the result of the match was inconclusive,both the Netherlands and Nepal were declared joint winners of the Triangular series.
In fact, the rain also affected the two matches played early on the day. The rain delayed matches had been reduced to six overs.
In both matches, MCC lost to the Netherlands and Nepal. Nepali bowlers did well to restrict the opposition to under 40 runs.
Right-arm fast-medium pacer Sompal Kami impressed,picking up two wickets,while veteran Shakti Gauchan on the verge of retirement got one.
Chasing a paltry total, Nepali batsmen easily secured victory in 4.4 overs for the loss of 1 wicket.Subash Khakurel(16) and Gyanendra Malla (12) guided the team to victory after the fall of Anil Sha’s(9) wicket,
Likewise, the Netherlands got the better of MMC with the help of Tobias Visee’s blistering big-hitting 58( 4 fours & 5 sixes)not out in 23 balls.
The day’s final and only international fixture between Nepal and the Netherlands was incomplete and eventually abandoned as mother nature showed no mercy.
Prior to that,the match was reduced to 18 overs, and Nepal elected to field first after Paras Khadka won the toss.
The decision seemed to have backfired as the Dutch put in a dominant batting display. They were cruising along at 174 for 4 in 16.4 overs before the game was called off.
It would not be an understatement to say that the rain did Nepal a favor. Had the Dutch batted 18 overs,probably, they could have amassed somewhere between 190 to 194 runs.
Given Nepal’s susceptible batting,it would have been a challenging total to chase. Nepali bowlers struggled to find their rhythm and failed to pin down batsmen as they got hammered.
Captain Khadka employed six bowlers,including himself, combining spin and pace in vain. Star bowler Sandeep Lamichhane went wicketless in his four overs,conceding 43 runs.
It was a missed opportunity for Nepali batsmen to face and handle the pressure and prove their worth.
