By a Staff Reporter
Kathmandu – Nepal’s aspirations to participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup were shattered after they were defeated by 7 wickets by the Netherlands in an ongoing qualifier match. With this loss, Nepal faced an exit from Group ‘A’, having suffered three defeats in four matches.
Invited to bat first at the Takashinga Sports Club, Nepal’s batting performance fell short as they were bowled out for a meager total of 167 runs in 44.3 overs.
Skipper Rohit Paudel was the top scorer for Nepal, contributing 33 runs off 55 deliveries. Unfortunately, opener Aasif Sheikh was dismissed without scoring any runs, while Kushal Bhurtel managed to add 27 runs before departing.
Bhim Sharki and Aarif Sheikh followed suit, scoring 22 and 6 runs respectively before Kushal Malla contributed 12 runs. Other contributors to the Nepalese innings included Dipendra Singh Airee (14), Gulsan Jha (15), Sandeep Lamichhane (27), and Karan KC (1). Lalit Rajbanshi remained not out, unable to add any runs to the team’s total.
The Dutch bowler Logan van Beek was the standout performer, claiming four wickets for just 24 runs in 9.3 overs, including one maiden over. He received support from Bas de Leede and Bikramjit Singh, who both took two wickets each. Additionally, Clayton Floyd and Aryan Dutt secured a wicket each, collectively limiting Nepal to a low total.
Chasing the target, the Netherlands comfortably achieved victory in just 27.1 overs, losing only three wickets in the process. Opener Max O’Dowd played a crucial role, smashing eight boundaries and four maximums to score an impressive 90 runs off 75 deliveries. Nepal’s Gulsan Jha managed to dismiss O’Dowd in the 26.1st over, bringing an end to his dominating innings.
Contributions from Vikramjit Singh (30) and Wesley Baressi (3) supported the Netherlands’ pursuit of victory, while Bas de Leede (41) and Teja Nidamanuru (2) remained unbeaten to seal the win.
Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane claimed two wickets, while Gulsan Jha took one wicket.
With this defeat, Nepal’s hopes of advancing to Group A were dashed, as they finished in fourth place with three losses and only one win in four matches. The United States had already been eliminated from the tournament after three consecutive losses. The teams progressing to the Super Six from Group ‘A’ are West Indies, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands.
Nepal will now compete in the playoffs for the 7th to 10th positions. In these playoffs, Nepal will face the bottom-ranked team from Group B in their bid to end the tournament on a positive note.
