Nepal suffered a rare and costly penalty during their ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series match against the Netherlands in Dundee, Scotland. Before the Netherlands even played their first ball in chase of 237 runs, they were already given 10 runs on the scoreboard, all due to a penalty charged to Nepal. The reason? Two identical rule violations committed by Nepali batter Basir Ahmed.
After losing the toss, Nepal batted first. In the 37th over, bowled by Dutch pacer Kyle Klein, Basir Ahmad blocked a ball and took a few steps down the pitch before returning to his crease. Initially, the umpire did not react, but Netherlands’ experienced bowler Roelof van der Merwe brought it to the umpire’s attention, expressing his dissatisfaction. Following the complaint, the umpires penalized Nepal with 5 runs, citing unnecessary movement on the protected area of the pitch.
However, Basir Ahmad repeated the same mistake in the 40th over. Facing spinner Aryan Dutt, he once again blocked the delivery and stepped forward on the central part of the pitch before going back. This time, Netherlands captain Scott Edwards immediately appealed, and the umpire imposed another 5-run penalty. Basir’s teammate Aarif Sheikh approached and warned him after the incident, but it was too late—the damage had already been done.
According to cricket rules, batters are not allowed to walk on the protected area of the pitch unless it’s absolutely necessary. Doing so can damage the surface, interfere with the fielding side, and obstruct the umpire’s view. That’s why such actions can lead to penalties.
Penalties are also given for several other infractions, such as applying saliva to the ball, wasting time, ball tampering, and the ball hitting a helmet left on the ground by the wicketkeeper. Nepal had previously faced a similar situation in 2022 when UAE fielder Basil Hameed applied saliva to the ball during a T20I match at TU Ground, resulting in a 5-run penalty for Nepal.
Thanks to Basir’s repeated infractions, the Netherlands began their innings at 10/0 without even facing a ball. While the penalty didn’t directly decide the match result, it was a reminder of how attention to detail and rule awareness are crucial on the international stage.
