Dallas, June 5
Right-handed batter Max ODowd's half-century helped the Netherlands clinch a six-wicket win over Nepal in the 7th match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Max ODowd (54* runs from 48 balls, 4 fours and 1 six) showcased a stunning performance in the second inning as he helped the Dutch side chase down the target successfully. ODowd played at a strike rate of 112.50 and added crucial runs on the scoreboard.
Vikramjit Singh (22 runs from 28 balls, 4 fours) was the second-highest run-getter for the Netherlands against Nepal. Singh's partnership with Max played a crucial in the game.
Even though they lost the match, Nepal were stupendous with the ball in the second inning. Rohit Paudel's side gave a low-scoring target of 109 runs but they made sure the Dutch side found it difficult to add runs.
The Nepal bowling attack failed to scalp early wickets which cost them the match. Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Abinash Bohara picked up three wickets in their respective spells.
Recapping the first inning of the match, after winning the toss, the Dutch side opted to field first against Nepal and their decision did go in their favour as they were successful in bundling Nepal's batting lineup.
Kushal Bhurtel (7 runs from 10 balls, 1 four) and Aasif Sheikh (4 runs from 8 balls, 1 four) opened for Nepal and displayed a sloppy performance.
The wickets started to fall from the second over after Tim Pringle made the first breakthrough of the match when he removed Aasif from the crease.
Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel (35 runs from 37 balls, 5 fours) was the only standout batter for them as he was the highest run scorer among his teammates.
Apart from Paudel, Gulsan Jha (14 runs from 15 balls, 1 six) and Karan KC (17 runs from 12 balls, 2 sixes) were the other run-getters for Nepal.
The Dutch bowling attack dominated the game from the very first moment of the first inning, stopping Nepal from scoring runs. Both Pringle and Van Beek picked up three wickets in their respective spells.
Paul van Meekeren and Bas de Leede bagged two wickets in their respective spells and stopped Nepal at 106 in the 19.2th over of the match.
Brief score: Nepal 106 (Rohit Paudel 36, Karan KC 17, Gulsan Jha 14; Logan van Beek 3/18) vs Netherlandsm 109/4 (Max ODowd 54*, Vikramjit Singh 22, Sybrand Engelbrecht 14; Sompal Kami 1/18).