Nepal vs Netherlands: Nepal defeated the Netherlands by 5 wickets in an exciting ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 encounter held in Dundee on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 226 runs, Nepal reached the goal in 47.1 overs, losing five wickets along the way. The win was powered by a solid batting effort, led by Aarif Sheikh and Dipendra Singh Airee.
Aarif Sheikh played a key role with a brilliant 78 runs off 99 balls, smashing 7 fours and 2 sixes. His innings was crucial in stabilizing the chase after a few early wickets. He built an important 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Dipendra Singh Airee, who remained unbeaten on 38 off 61 balls, hitting three boundaries.
Nepal’s innings got off to a decent start with opener Kushal Bhurtel scoring 25 from 42 balls. Captain Rohit Paudel added 23 runs from 39 balls, while fellow opener Aasif Sheikh made 19 off 22. Bhim Sharki contributed 11 runs before getting out. The rest of the batting lineup supported the chase calmly to ensure the target was achieved with 17 balls to spare.
The Netherlands bowlers tried to apply pressure, with Michael Levitt taking 2 wickets, while Vivian Kingma and Paul van Meekeren claimed one each. However, they couldn’t break the crucial middle-order stand between Aarif and Dipendra.
Earlier in the day, the Netherlands won the toss and opted to bat first but were bowled out for 225 runs in 49.1 overs. Noah Croes top-scored for them with 48 off 55 balls, hitting five boundaries. Captain Scott Edwards made 46 from 71 balls before getting caught by Rohit Paudel off the bowling of Lalit Rajbanshi. A key 55-run stand for the eighth wicket between Croes and Roelof van der Merwe helped push the Dutch total past 200. Roelof van der Merwe made 21 from 22 before being run out.
Nepal’s bowlers were impressive, especially in the powerplay. Sompal Kami removed opener Michael Levitt for just 1 run in the second over, and Karan KC bowled Max O’Dowd for 4 in the fifth over. Bikramjit Singh and Scott Edwards then formed a 77-run stand for the third wicket, but Sandeep Lamichhane broke the partnership by dismissing Singh for 38. Jack Lyons made 27 and Teja Nidamanuru scored 13 before falling to Lalit and Lamichhane, respectively. Sompal Kami finished with 3 wickets, while Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Lalit Rajbanshi took 2 wickets each.
With this victory, Nepal climbs to 10 points from 14 matches and is now in 7th place in the League 2 standings. The Netherlands, on the other hand, remains in second place with 26 points from 21 matches. League 2 is a qualification pathway for the ICC ODI World Cup 2027. The top four teams at the end of the league will qualify directly for the Global Qualifier, while the bottom four will need to play in a separate playoff tournament.
Nepal’s remaining matches in this round of League 2 are scheduled as follows: on June 8 (Jestha 25), they will face Scotland, and on June 10 (Jestha 27), they will play the Netherlands again. After the conclusion of League 2, a T20I Tri-Series between Nepal, Scotland, and the Netherlands will begin on June 15 (Asar 1).
