Nepal ended their ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign in Scotland with a solid 16-run victory over the Netherlands in the final match of the series.
Batting first after losing the toss, Nepal posted 236 runs for 9 wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Aarif Sheikh led the innings with a composed 84 runs off 85 balls, hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes. He was dismissed in the third ball of the final over. Rohit Paudel and Bhim Sharki added stability in the middle with 35 runs each. Kushal Bhurtel scored 18 and Dipendra Singh Airee contributed 16 runs.
From the Dutch bowling attack, Paul van Meekeren was the standout performer, taking 4 wickets for 58 runs in his 10 overs. Michael Levitt picked up 3 wickets, and Aryan Dutt grabbed 1.
Chasing a target of 237, the Netherlands were all out for 220 in 49.2 overs. Wesley Barresi top-scored with 36 runs, while captain Scott Edwards added 30 and Michael Levitt chipped in with 27. Kyle Klein scored 25 and Noah Croes contributed 22, but they couldn’t take their team across the finish line.
Nepal’s bowlers delivered under pressure, with Sandeep Lamichhane taking 3 wickets for 39 runs in his full quota of 10 overs. Debutant Nandan Yadav also impressed, taking 3 wickets for 39 runs in 9 overs. He removed Max O’Dowd, Roelof van der Merwe, and Kyle Klein — all via catches. Lalit Rajbanshi took 2 wickets, while Karan KC and Kushal Bhurtel picked 1 each.
This was Nepal’s second win over the Netherlands in this four-match series. With 3 wins in total, Nepal now have 12 points from 16 matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 standings and are currently placed seventh. The Netherlands remain ahead with 26 points from 23 games.
