Dutch party in Sharja

Max O'Dowd stars in low-scoring thriller as Netherlands beat Nepal

Max O’Dowd struck a classy half-century as the Netherlands overcame a spirited Nepal by 16 runs in a low-scoring thriller to begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a winning note in Sharjah on Monday.

In a match reduced to 17-overs-a-side, O’Dowd top-scored with a 51-ball 73 and shared a match-defining 103-run stand with Bas de Leede (39) to lift the Netherlands to a competitive 142 for four.

In reply, Nepal fought hard but fell short as they were restricted to 126 for six. Skipper Gyanendra Malla led the chase with a 38-ball 51, but the asking rate kept climbing in the latter half as the Dutch bowlers kept chipping away with wickets.

Earlier, Nepal captain Malla opted to field but his decision immediately backfired as O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh (14) raced to a 26-run opening stand inside four overs.

After Singh’s departure, O’Dowd found an able ally in de Leede as the duo kept the scoreboard ticking. The Dutch crossed the 100-run mark in the 13th over as the Nepal bowlers struggled to stem the flow of runs.

O’Dowd reached his fifty in the 15th over and looked set for a bigger score before he was cleaned up by spinner Sandeep Lamichhane in the penultimate over.

In the chase, Nepal openers Kushal Bhurtel (17) and Aasif Sheikh (15) gave their team a steady start, putting on 32 for the first wicket. But the introduction of spin saw the Dutch wrest back the advantage as Tim Pringle had Bhurtel stumped in the fifth over.

Nepal continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and despite Malla’s valiant effort, they eventually fell short by 16 runs.

The Netherlands will next face the United Arab Emirates in Geelong on October 19, while Nepal will take on Papua New Guinea in Abu Dhabi on October 21.