Kathmandu, June 5: Nepal registered a thrilling victory against the Netherlands by five wickets on Wednesday’s match under the ICC World Cup League-2.
The 50-over one-day international match was held at the Forthill Cricket Ground in Dundee, Scotland. Chasing a target of 226 runs set by the Netherlands, Nepal achieved the total in 47.1 overs, losing five wickets.
Aarif Sheikh was the star of Nepal’s win, scoring a crucial half-century. He made 78 runs off 99 balls, including seven fours and two sixes.
Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee also contributed significantly with an unbeaten 38 off 51 balls, hitting three boundaries. Aarif and Dipendra shared a vital 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Among other batters, opener Kushal Bhurtel scored 25 runs off 42 balls, captain Rohit Paudel made 23 off 39 balls, Aasif Sheikh added 19 runs from 22 balls, and Bhim Sharki chipped in with 11 runs from 26 deliveries.
For the Netherlands, Michael Levitt took two wickets, while Vivian Kingma and Paul van Meekeren claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Netherlands posted a total of 225 runs in 49.1 overs. Noah Croes top-scored with 48 runs off 55 balls (5 fours), followed by captain Scott Edwards with 46 off 71 balls (4 fours), Vikramjit Singh with 38, and Zach Lion-Cachet who added 27 off 34 balls.
For Nepal, Sompal Kami took three wickets, while Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Sandeep Lamichhane grabbed two wickets each.
With this win, Nepal now has 10 points from 14 matches and remains in seventh place on the points table. The Netherlands, despite the loss, stays in second place with 26 points from 21 matches. #nepal #cricket
Nepal’s batting card
