Nepal scored 106 in 19.2 overs, where as Netherlands scored 109/4 in 18.4 overs.
So, finally Netherlands beat Nepal by 6 wickets.
Netherlands completed a tense six-wicket win over Nepal in their T20 World Cup opener in Dallas, chasing a target of 107 with only eight balls to spare.
Max O’Dowd’s mature unbeaten half-century ensured two points for Scott Edwards’s side.
The Difference: Max O’Dowd’s Knock
O’Dowd remained unbeaten on 54* off 48 balls, helping the Netherlands close the run-chase when the pressure was on them, on an admittedly bowler-friendly pitch.
The Netherlands needed over a run a ball after the 17th over, but O’Dowd’s takedown of Abinash Bohara when things got tight ensured that the match didn’t run into the final over.
A crucial moment came when O’Dowd was dropped at long-off on 41, which may have exaggerated the difference between the sides.
Nepal
Power Play 29/2 (6x4s)
The Netherlands won a good toss in conditions ripe for swing and seam, but their unconventional decision to have a spinner bowl with the new ball paid immediate dividends.
Tim Pringle, the left-arm spinner, struck with the wicket of Aasif Sheikh before Logan van Beek doubled down with the wicket of Kushal Bhurtel in his first over.
Rohit Van Beek could also have had Rohit Paudel in the same over, but an inside edge, spotted on review, saved the Nepal captain.
Middle Overs 46/4 (5 x 4s)
This is the phase where Nepal really lost the plot.
The Netherlands bowlers kept chipping away with wickets, starting with Anil Sah, who was outwitted on the sweep by Pringle.
Paul van Meekeren then had Kushal Malla caught at mid-on, restricting Nepal to 53/4 after 10 overs.
Two beautiful pieces of seam bowling brought two more wickets, with Bas de Leede getting Dipendra Singh caught at first slip and Paul van Meekeren bowling Sompal Kami with a nip-backer.
Death Overs 31/4 (3 x 6s)
Paudel, the top-scorer at 35, fell in the 16th over in a major blow, holing out to long-off to give Pringle his third wicket.
Van Beek too finished with three wickets, wrapping up the innings with back-to-back dismissals of Gulsan Jha and Abinash Bohara.
Karan KC’s cameo of 17 off 12 helped Nepal reach 106, but they were eventually bowled out with four balls to spare.
Netherlands
Power Play 36/1 (6 x 4s)
Karan KC bowled three of the Power Play overs as Nepal kept a lid on the scoring while adding the wicket of Michael Levitt, who holed one up in the air.
VAmidst some tight bowling, Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh kept the scoreboard ticking at around a run-a-ball.
Middle Overs 43/2 (2 x 4s)
It remained neck and neck between the two sides even in the middle overs, with the Nepal bowlers conceding three fewer runs than their batters scored in this phase.
Only two boundaries were conceded as the Netherlands reached 52/2 after 10 overs, having lost Vikramjit Singh to an lbw by Dipendra Singh.
Sybrand Engelbrecht’s run-out at the start of the 14th over added a spring in Nepal’s step, making them believe they could defend the target.
Final Overs 30/1 in 3.4 Overs
As the final five overs began, Scott Edwards was bowled by Abinash Bohara, and a tight four-run 17th over by Sagar Dhakal made the equation even tighter.
That’s when O’Dowd stepped up, hitting a six and a four off consecutive balls in the 19th over to all but get the Netherlands past the finish line.
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