NED vs NEP: Netherlands defeat Nepal by six wickets

The Netherlands thumped Nepal by six wickets in their first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Tuesday at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

The Dutchmen chased the target in the 19th over on the back of Max O'Dowd's unbeaten 54 off 48 balls.

Earlier, Pacer Logan van Beek and skipper Tim Pringle took three wickets each, leading their team to dominate the opposition.

Nepal struggled at the start, with wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh being dismissed by Pringle. Kushal Bhurtel fell to an lbw by van Beek after scoring just 7 runs off 10 balls. Anil Sah added 11 runs from 12 balls before being caught by van Beek off Pringle's bowling.

Captain Rohit Paudel put in a notable performance, scoring 35 runs from 37 balls before being removed by Pringle. Gulsan Jha contributed 14 runs towards the end, while Karan KC hit a quick 17 runs from 12 balls, including two sixes.

Pringle achieved figures of 3/20 in his four-over spell, while van Beek excelled with 3/18. Paul van Meekeren also performed well, taking 2 wickets for 19 runs in his four overs, and Bas de Leede chipped in with 2 wickets for 22 runs.

At the toss, the Dutch captain said that he made the decision to bowl first due to overcast conditions.

"With the weather around, it might swing early. For us, that first goal is to get into that next round. So we have to play well and win three games.

"We are from a small country, and we play against each other, and with each other a lot," he added.

Meanwhile, Nepal captain Rohit Paudel said that he was playing in the competition after ten years.

"It is a big occasion for is. After 10 years we are playing here. As a kid, always wanted to play and I feel great. Feel very happy. Playing for Nepal give me pleasure. First goal is to win today and then we will take one game at a time. The toss does not matter a lot. Looking for a good total on the board," he said.

Playing XIs

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Anil Sah, Kushal Malla, Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sagar Dhakal, Abinash Bohara

Netherlands: Max O'Dowd, Michael Levitt, Vikramjit Singh, Scott Edwards (capt and wk), Teja Nidamanuru, Bas de Leede, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma

This is the second game of Group D. South Africa defeated Sri Lanka in the first game in New York by six wickets.