ICC Men's T20 World Cup: Netherlands beat Nepal in thrilling opener

Dallas: Netherlands beat Nepal by six wickets in a tight contest that was delayed by rain at the Grand Prairie in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday.

The Dutch opted to bowl first and dismissed Nepal for 106 in 19.2 overs, captain Rohit Paudel top scoring with a 37-ball 35.

Tim Pringle (3-20 in four overs) and Logan van Beek (3-18 in 3.2 overs) did the damage as Nepal lost wickets at regular intervals.

Dutch opener Max O’Dowd led the successful chase, hitting 54 not out in 48 balls to take his team over the line with eight balls to spare.

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 and his partnership with O’Dowd played a crucial in the game.

Even though they lost the match, Nepal were stupendous with the ball in the second innings. Paudel’s side made sure the Dutch side didn’t have it easy.

Nepal’s hopes were briefly raised when Netherlands were reduced to 80-4 in the 16th over but O’Dowd and Bas de Leede (11 not out) shared an undefeated 29-run partnership to take the team home.

Sompal Kami, Dipendra Singh Airee and Abinash Bohara took a wicket apiece. Agencies

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