Netherlands won the toss and opt to bowl
What a professional bowling display by Netherlands. Edwards started with spin and it paid immediate dividends as Pringle struck in the first over. The conditions were ideal for seam and swing bowling and it suited Netherlands to the hilt. Their seamers stuck to their strengths and just allowed the wicket to do the rest. Nepal’s lack of technical ability was on show as they failed to counter the movement on offer. Only skipper Paudel resisted as he made 35 and Karan KC chipped in with a cameo. The rest of their batting was nothing to write about. van Beek was the pick and he ended with three. The others contributed too and Netherlands’ fielding was so good, all the catches were held and some of them needed taking. Should be an easy chase this.
van Beek – First of all, I have to say the fans of Nepal were amazing. At the start, there was swing with the rain around, but as the innings went forward, we bowled back of a length and kept it straight. Very proud of our fielding, the boys have been superb all through the week we’ve been here. I think the top-order will get us the job done and I don’t need to put my pads on.
Most wickets for Netherlands in T20 WCs
20 – Paul van Meekeren
15 – Bas de Leede
15 – Timm van der Gugten
12 – Ahsan Malik
This is the Nepal’s lowest team total in T20 World Cups
Lowest totals vs Netherlands in T20 WCs
88 – ENG, Chattogram, 2014
106 – NEP, Dallas, 2024*
111/8 – UAE, Geelong, 2022
117 – ZIM, Adelaide, 2022
It wasn’t exactly a cruise for Netherlands, but they’ve managed to get over the line with more than an over to spare. Nepal fought hard with ball but missed a few chances in the field that could’ve made a difference. O’Dowd was given a couple of reprieves and he went on to make a measured half-century, anchoring the chase on a two-paced pitch with spongy bounce. A few others got starts as well but couldn’t find much rhythm in the middle. However, with the target only 107, Netherlands weren’t under too much pressure and could afford to take their time. Bulk of the work was done by the bowlers earlier with van Beek and Pringle sharing six wickets between them.
Tim Pringle | Player of the Match – We bowled well as a bowling group, brought the stumps into play and used our variations well. Speeds are crucial in this format, I like to mix as well.
Most 50+ scores for Netherlands in T20 WCs
5 – Max O’Dowd
3 – Stephan Myburgh
1 – Colin Ackermann
1 – Tom Cooper
7 out of 10 wins in the T20 World Cup for the Netherlands have come while chasing the target.
Paudel, Nepal captain: The overhead conditions were really challenging. Credit to Netherlands bowlers also. We could’ve done better with the bat. After getting start myself, I could’ve stretched more. I was moving laterally and using the crease to disturb the length. It was working for me. After the start, I could’ve done better. As a bowling unit we bowled well. In the field we could’ve done better. Result would’ve been different. Last one I dropped, it was very crucial. Want to thank all of them (the crowd). Was feeling like we were playing in Nepal. If we do better as batting unit, we can do better.
Edwards, Netherlands captain: Obviously we got a bit of a read of the wicket (good toss to win?). Our bowlers did well in the powerplay. Both of those boys have been brilliant for us over a few years now (Pringle and van Beek). Ideally, we would’ve liked to get there a bit quicker (talking about the chase). Was a trickier wicket than we were expecting? For us, it’s the consistency. To go well in these tournaments, you have to play consistent cricket.
Conclusion:
Another low-scoring game on a tricky pitch. Netherlands did just about enough today to see off Nepal, starting their campaign on a winning note.