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O’Dowd Half-Century Steers Netherlands Past Nepal in T20 World Cup
Max O’Dowd (30) struck an unbeaten half-century to guide the Netherlands to a six-wicket win over Nepal in their T20 World Cup Group D match on Tuesday. Chasing a target of 107, O’Dowd anchored the Netherlands’ innings with a composed 54 off 48 balls, ensuring victory at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
The Netherlands concluded their chase with a score of 109-4 in 18.4 overs, with Bas de Leede sealing the victory with a boundary. Vikram Singh contributed 22 runs, while Sybrand Engelbrecht was the only other Dutch batsman to reach double figures, scoring 14.
Nepal, on the other hand, were left to lament three dropped catches that could have altered the outcome, including a crucial miss by skipper Rohit Paudel in the 18th over that would have dismissed O’Dowd.
The Netherlands’ modest target was set up by a disciplined bowling performance that restricted Nepal to 106 all out.
“Our bowlers were awesome up top,” Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said afterwards. “All five of our bowlers were brilliant. Ideally, we would have got the runs a little quicker, but it was great the way Max batted, and Bassie finished it off well. We’ve got to play consistent cricket right through this tournament.”
Logan van Beek took three wickets for just 18 runs, while Tim Pringle also claimed three wickets, finishing with figures of 3-20 off four overs. Paul van Meekeren chipped in with two wickets for 19 runs, and de Leede ended with 2-22.
After losing the toss, Nepal’s batsmen struggled to adapt to the moist, overcast conditions, exacerbated by a delayed start due to a wet outfield.
“The conditions while batting were really challenging,” Nepal captain Paudel said. “Netherlands bowled really well.”
Nepal found themselves in early trouble at 15-2 after 3.1 overs. Anil Sah was the next to fall, scoring 11 runs before being caught by van Beek off Pringle, leaving Nepal at 40-3.
Rohit Paudel offered a brief revival with a brisk 35 off 37 balls, but he soon ran out of middle-order support. Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sompal Kami fell in quick succession, reducing Nepal to 66-6 after 13.2 overs. When Paudel was dismissed by Pringle, the final three wickets fell rapidly, sealing Nepal’s fate.
