KATHMANDU, June 5: In their first group match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Nepal suffered a defeat to the Netherlands by 6 wickets.

The Netherlands successfully chased Nepal's target of 107 runs, finishing at 108/4 in 18.4 overs. Opener Max O'Dowd led the scoring for the Netherlands with an unbeaten 54 runs off 48 balls, including 4 fours and 1 six. Vikramjit Singh contributed 22 runs, Sybrand Engelbrecht added 14, and Bas de Leede remained not out with 11 runs.

For Nepal, Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Abhinash Bohara each took a wicket.

Earlier, Nepal, having lost the toss and put in to bat first at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, managed to score 106 runs before being bowled out in 19.2 overs.

Playing in their second T20 World Cup after a decade, Nepal aimed for a strong start but struggled against the Netherlands' robust bowling attack. Captain Rohit Paudel top-scored for Nepal with 35 runs off 37 balls, hitting 5 fours. Only four Nepalese players reached double figures. Rohit attempted to anchor the innings but lacked support from the other end.

In the lower order, Karan KC scored a quick 17 runs off 12 balls, including 2 sixes. Gulsan Jha hit a six in his 14-ball innings, scoring 11 runs, and Anil Shah added 11 runs off 12 balls with 2 fours.

Sompal Kami, a veteran of Nepal's second T20 World Cup, was dismissed for a duck, while Abhinash Bohara, the last wicket to fall, also failed to score.

For the Netherlands, Tim Pringle and Logan Van Beek claimed 3 wickets each, while Paul Van Meekeren and Bas de Leede took 2 wickets apiece to dismantle the Nepalis batting lineup.

This was the first match for both teams in Group D of the competition. In addition to Nepal and the Netherlands, Group D includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and South Africa.

 
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• Nepal
 
• Netherlands