KATHMANDU, June 5: Nepal registered a victory against the Netherlands in the match held under the ICC World Cup League 2 on Wednesday.
Playing at the Forthill Cricket Ground in Dundee, Scotland, Nepal defeated the Dutch players by five wickets. Chasing a target of 226 runs set by the Netherlands, Nepal reached the target in 47.1 overs, losing five wickets.
Arif Sheikh played a crucial role in Nepal's win by scoring a vital half-century. He made 78 runs off 99 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes before getting out.
Road to ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 starts in September
Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee remained unbeaten on 38 runs off 51 balls, including three fours. Arif and Dipendra shared a crucial 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Opener Kushal Bhurtel contributed 25 runs off 42 balls with three fours. Captain Rohit Paudel scored 23 runs off 39 balls, hitting one four. Another opener, Aasif Sheikh, added 19 runs from 22 balls with three boundaries, while Bhim Sharki made 11 runs off 26 balls, hitting one four.
For the Netherlands, Michael Levitt took two wickets, while Vivian Kingma and Paul van Meekeren picked up one wicket each.
Earlier, after winning the toss, the Netherlands chose to bat first and posted a total of 225 runs in 49.1 overs. Noah Croes top-scored with 48 runs off 55 balls, hitting five fours.
Similarly, skipper Scott Edwards added 46 runs off 71 balls with four fours, Vikramjit Singh scored 38, and Jack Lyons contributed 27 runs off 34 balls.
For Nepal, Sompal Kami claimed three wickets, while Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets each.
With this win, Nepal stands in seventh place on the league table with 10 points from 14 matches. Despite the loss, the Netherlands remained in the second position with 26 points from 21 games.
