NED vs NEP | Twitter lauds Max O'Dowd’s splendid half-ton as Netherlands beat Nepal in a low-scoring thriller

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Netherlands beat Nepal by six wickets in the Group D encounter in Dallas, Texas. The Dutch players looked great with the ball as they bundled out Nepal for just 106 runs whereas while batting, Max O’Dowd’s 54 off 48 balls ultimately sealed victory for Netherlands with four balls to spare.

‌In the Group D encounter played in Dallas, the Netherlands skipper Scott Edwards won the toss and opted to bowl first against Nepal, a decision that ultimately paid dividends for his side. The Dutch bowlers wasted no time in making an impact, as they managed to pick up the crucial wickets of Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Bhurtel during the powerplay overs. This early double blow put Nepal on the back foot, leaving captain Rohit Paudel and Anil Sah to steady the ship. The pair guided Nepal to a mere 29/2 at the end of the opening six overs. However, the Netherlands continued to apply pressure, and their perseverance was rewarded when Sah fell victim to Tim Pringle in the eighth over, further compounding Nepal's troubles. The Nepali batting order continued to crumble, as they lost the key wickets of Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee in quick succession, leaving them reeling at 53/5 after just 10.4 overs. Despite the mounting pressure, Paudel displayed immense resolve and determination, anchoring the innings and pushing the score to a more respectable 65/5 by the 13th over. Sadly, Paudel's effort came to an end in the 16th over, and the tail-end batters Somapal Kami and others were unable to mount a meaningful fightback, as the Netherlands' disciplined bowling unit ultimately bowled out Nepal for a modest total of 106 runs in 19.2 overs.

The Netherlands got off to a rather shaky start in the match, losing the wicket of Michael Levitt in just the second over of the innings. However, the Dutch were able to steadily rebuild their innings thanks to a solid 33-run partnership between Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd. The two batters worked well together, rotating the strike and finding the occasional boundary to take the score to a respectable 36/1 by the end of the powerplay overs. Just as Singh and O'Dowd looked great at the crease, Nepal's Dipendra Singh struck a crucial blow, dismissing Singh and breaking up their promising 40-run stand. At the halfway mark of the innings, the Netherlands found themselves at 52/2, with O'Dowd and Sybrand Engelbrecht at the crease. However, Nepal picked up the wickets of Engelbrecht and Scott Edwards in the middle overs to put themselves in the driver's seat. But just when it seemed like Nepal had the upper hand, Max O'Dowd stepped up with a composed and determined half-century off just 47 deliveries. His boundary-laden knock of 53 not out ultimately sealed a six-wicket victory for the Netherlands, as they chased down the target in the 19th over. 

Very unlucky!

They foght well!

Ned played well!

May be yeah!

Good win for them!

He batted really well!

No idea on this!

They have won many hearts!

Yeah!

That's huge support!

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