Netherlands vs Nepal T20 series - A brief report
The recently concluded international series between Nepal and Netherlands ended 1-3 with Netherlands winning first three matches straight to lift the series. The tournament also was a friendly gesture from the Dutch Cricket Association as they had declared before the tournament that for every six hit in the tournament, a sum of 6 Euros would be provided for the Earthquake Relief in Nepal.
During the 4 match tournament, a total of 17 sixes were hit, 13 by Netherlands and 4 by Nepal. Below is the summary of each game of the series.
The 1st T20I
Netherlands 134 for 5( S.Myburgh 67*) defeat Nepal 116 for 7( P. Khadka 45*,MAA Jamil 3-23) by 18 runs
After opting to bat first, the Dutch looked much in trouble after two run outs in the early phase of the innings reduced them to 32-3. However, their in-form left-handed opener Stephan Myburgh handled the other end and batted throughout the innings to lead them to 134. Myburgh and Peter Borren added 33 runs for the fourth wicket partnership and the former added 63 runs with Michael Rippon for the sixth.
The Nepalese bowlers quite failed to live up to the expectation as the only notable contribution was from their veteran leg spinner Basant Regmi who finished with figures of 4-0-24-2.
During the reply, Nepal could not quite take hold of the situation as wickets fell constantly and the only notable partnership was of 31 runs between their skipper Paras Khadka and Rajesh Pulami Magar. The pace duo consisting of Ahsan Malik and T van der Gugten ran through the top and middle order sharing 5 wickets between them and completed with combined figures of 8-0-46-5.
Skipper Khadka tried to pull things back for the Nepalese side with a valiant 45 off 42 but was unable to guide them to victory single handedly.
The 2nd T20I
Netherlands 172 for 4 (Swart 76*, Cooper 66) beat Nepal 69( Rippon 3-11, Van Meekeren 2-8) by 103 runs
The second game marked the biggest defeat in T20Is for the Nepalese Cricket Team as their batting lineup collapsed while chasing an impressive total of 173. After being inserted to bat first, the Dutch side started off rather slowly making only 27 runs in the first 5 overs. However,after opener Tobias Visee fell cheaply for 4, the partnership between Swart and Cooper yielded 131 runs from just 83 balls and both batsmen scored their fifties in the process. Cooper was dismissed eventually for a 46 ball 66 but the wicket-keeper batsmen Wesley Barresi came on to hit consecutive sixes and hoist the total to 172.
Chasing 173, the Nepalese began positively with their vice-captain Malla scoring 3 fours in the very first over. But after his dismissal in the last ball of the over, none of the batsmen could step up to the chase and were bowled all out for a paltry 69.
The performance of the top and middle order batsmen remained Nepal's concern as only Malla(12), Vesawkar(18) and Kami(14) could reach double figures. Netherlands led the series 2-0.
The 3rd T20I
Netherlands 149 for 6( Myburgh 71*) beat Nepal 131 for 9 (Khadka 36, MAA Jamil 4-21)
Stephan Myburgh and Ahsan Malik contributed with bat and ball respectively to seal an impressive series win for the Dutch on their home soil. After opting to bat first, Netherlands batted energetically and reached fifty by the eighth over. Nepal did well to pull things back by not allowing the Dutch middle order settle but the explosive left-handed Myburgh guided them to a respective total scoring 71 off 56 deliveries and hitting five fours and two sixes and remaining not out in the process.
On the chase, the Nepalese opener again failed to build a strong foundation for the chase with Pun scoring only 5 from 9 deliveries and Khakurel scoring 14 from 27. Yet again the middle order failed to build and the skipper Khadka had nothing to boast about except his own individual performance.
Needing 23 runs from 6 balls to win in the final over, Nepal again fell short of the total by 18 runs after Malik delivered a dreamy final over, taking three wickets conceding just four runs. Netherlands lifted the series with a score of 3-0 in the series with one match to go.
The 4th T20I
Netherlands 139 for 7( Van der Merwe 40*, Pun 3-26,Regmi 2-31) defeated by Nepal 141 for 7( Khadka 54, Malik 3-25)
All seemed not lost for Nepal as they managed to grab a consolation win in the final game of the series, thanks to their skipper’s valiant knock yet again.
After opting to bat first, Netherlands made their poorest start of the series as they slumped to 83-7 in 14.5 overs with Nepalese spin duo of Pun and Regmi taking wickets at regular intervals. However, a handy 27 ball 40 from the Dutch Debutant Reloef van der Merwe at the end of the innings got them to a respectable total of 139.
Again chasing, Nepal looked set to concede a series whitewash as they were 76 for 4 by the 13th over after their openers failed to get them to a good start for the fourth time in the tournament. However, this time their skipper steered them home with a well-controlled knock of 54 from 41 deliveries with 6 fours. This win provided a consolation win for Nepal and the series ended 3-1 to Netherlands.
Talking Points
Nepal will look forward to get good starts from their openers in the upcoming ICC T20 WC Qualifiers. They still haven't finalized the starting pair for the tournament.
Nepal will also hope to decrease the dot ball percentage in the early parts of the innings and also the middle overs. They will surely look for other match winnings knock from their middle order besides their captain.
Netherlands would like to carry this form into the tournament. Their openers got them to starts, their middle order built the innings and their bowlers backed up their batting by some good bowling performances.
The form of Myburgh and Malik will be crucial for the Dutch side. These two guided the team to two victories against Nepal in the series and the team would surely like them to be in form.