KATHMANDU, March 18: Nepal succumbed to 45 runs defeat in the seventh-place playoff match against the Netherlands in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 in Kwekwe, Zimbabwe on Saturday. 

Nepal failed to chase the 190 run target as the Netherlands’ Roelof van der Merwe picked four wickets to bundle Nepal out for 144 runs in 44.4 overs. 

Sompal Kami’s solo all-round effort of four wickets and 36 runs went in vain as Nepal’s batting crumbled once again. 

Nepali openers Gyanendra Malla and Anil Kumar Sah continued their poor performance with bat contributing just 4 and 8 runs respectively before losing their wickets. Fred Klaassen and van der Merwe claimed the wickets. Nepal further slid into trouble after losing the wicket of in-form Paras Khadka for 22 runs at the score of 51 runs in 16.1 overs. 

Nepal skipper, who faced 37 deliveries, hit three boundaries before edging a catch to Max O’Dowd of van der Merwe.

Nepal kept losing wickets in regular small intervals as Sompal led a resistance at one end facing 53 deliveries. Rohit Kumar Paudel and Shakti Gauchan were dismissed for ducks. 

The hero of the last match, in which Nepal defeated Papua New Guinea by six wickets to earn One Day International status for the first time, Dipendra Singh Airee made 25 runs off 38 deliveries before getting trapped LBW by Pieter Seelar. Nepal was eventually bundled for 144 runs in 44.4 overs after Lalit Rajbanshi was dismissed by Timm van der Gugten. 

Sandeep Lamcihhane remained not out on 14 runs at the other end. Klaassen and Pieter Seelar bagged two wickets each. Similarly, Snater and van der Gugten ended the match with a wicket apiece.

Earlier, the Netherlands won the toss and elected to bat first in relatively bowling friendly Kwekwe surface in which they defended 174 runs in last match against Hong Kong. 

Nepal made one change replacing veteran spinner Basant Regmi with Shakti Gauchan. 
Nepal’s Sompal Kami made early inroads in the match picking up three wickets in his first spell removing Netherlands’ three top order batsmen- Wesley Barresi, Ben Cooper and skipper Peter Borren. Barresi and Cooper were dismissed without troubling the scorers whereas Borren made seven runs in the match.

Nepal’s teenage spin-twins then overtook the wicket taking duties from Sompal, to destabilize Dutch middle order. 

Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi picked up two wickets each. Bas de Leede made 39 runs facing 91 deliveries which was the highest individual contribution in the match by any batsmen from both sides. He lost his wicket to Sompal Kami, coming back in his second spell of the match, caught behind by the wicket-keeper Anil Sah.

Reolof van der Merwe and Scott Edwards contributed 25 runs each before getting dismissed by young left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi. 

More contributions came down the order by Pieter Seelar and Shane Snatner with 23 runs each. Shakti Gauchan picked a wicket in his eight overs conceding 36 runs.

The Netherlands scored 189 runs in their 50 overs for the loss of nine wickets with Snater staying unbeaten on 23 runs. 

Sompal was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets to his name in 10 overs conceding 24 runs including two wicket-maidens at start of his spell.

Elsewhere, Papua New Guinea defeated Hong Kong by 58 runs to secure ninth place finish in the ongoing Qualifiers. 

Player of the match Charles Amini picked four wickets to bundle out Hong Kong for 142 runs in 25.2 overs defending the total of 200 runs. Earlier, Tony Ura smashed 49 runs at top of the batting order to give his team a good start.

Nepal has finished the Qualifier on eighth position after losing to the Netherlands. 

 
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