KATHMANDU – The Netherlands clinched the title of the Tri-nation T20 International Series, defeating Nepal by four wickets in the final held today at Kirtipur-based Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground.
Despite Nepal posting a challenging total of 185 runs, the Netherlands successfully chased down the target in 19.3 overs at the loss of six wickets.
Michael Levitt played significantly in the Netherlands’ victory, scoring a half-century with 54 runs off just 29 balls, including three sixes and six fours. Max O’Dowd scored 22 runs off 23 balls, featuring one six and two fours.
The Netherlands’ opening pair of Levitt and O’Dowd played with a solid partnership of 83 runs for the first wicket. Though Nepal’s Kushal Malla joined his team for bowling in ninth overs and took two wickets in his first over, it was not enough to derail the Netherlands’ momentum.
Vikramajit Singh bolstered the Netherlands’ innings with 29 runs off 23 balls, smashing three sixes while captain Scott Andrew Edwards added just two runs to the team.
At the fall of the fifth wicket from the Nepal, Sybrand Engelbrecht was dismissed before he scored 48 with three sixes and four fours in 29 balls. In its sixth wicket, Nepal dismissed Teja Nidamanuru with just two runs.
Bowler Timm van der Gugten contributed 21 runs with the help of two sixes and two fours in five balls while Roelof van der Merwe made two runs for the Netherland’s victory. Both of them were not out.
Levitt, who contributed 54 runs and took two wickets, was declared the Player of the Match. Nepal, which opted to bat first after winning the toss, made 184 runs in the allotted 20 overs, losing eight wickets.
Opener Aashif Shekh contributed 47 runs including three sixes and one four off 37 balls while another opener Kushal Bhurtel made 20 runs. Captain Rohit Poudel made 25 runs while Gulshan Jha made 34 runs.
Dipendra Singh Airee was out with single run while Kushal Malla made 26 runs in 11 balls with the help of three sixes. Aarif Sekh could not make any run while Karan KC hit nine. The final order batters Sompal Kami and Pratis GC each made six runs.
Fred Klaassen, Timm van der Gugten, Michael Levitt and Sybrand Englebrecht each took two wickets for the Netherlands. Remaining in second position with four points in league phase, Nepal entered into final while the Netherlands is in top position with five points.
The Netherlands which was in the top place in the score table with five points and Nepal with four points had entered into the final of the Series.
Namibia, which had secured three points, was at the bottom of the score tally. It played four matches, winning in one, losing in two and drawing in one.
Namibia defeated Nepal by 20 runs in the first match of the Series while the Netherlands beat Nepal by two runs in the second match.
Likewise, the Netherlands trounced Namibia by 59 runs in the third match while Nepal secured a three-run exciting win against Namibia in the fourth match of the Series.
In the fifth match, Nepal had secured an easy six-wicket win against the Netherlands whereas the match between Namibia and the Netherlands was canceled due to rain, with both teams sharing one point each.
