It was a game that could have gone either way. Whilst the Netherlands were arguably the stronger and hence the favorites going into this game, the team from Nepal proved to be no tame pushover. The team from South Asia has only one other ICC tournament presence to its name: having made the Group stage of the T20 World Cup in 2014.
So this game was a matter of wait and see. To determine how well the two teams would perform on the day given the pitch and the conditions. It was a relatively close game. Closer than what the Dutch may have wanted it to be, but they got the result they wanted. Let’s see how it went.
Netherlands – Playing to a Plan and Executing It
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Things went Netherlands way from the start. Having won the toss on an uncertain wicket, the Dutch did the right thing in putting the opposition in. With a relatively strong bowling lineup featuring the likes of Logan van Beek and Paul van Meekeren with conditions in their favor, the bowling side was confident of restricting the opposition; which is what they did.
The Nepal innings never got going. Losing wickets at regular intervals with no real acceleration at any point in the innings. Besides Karan Khatri Chhetri, no other player in the Nepal lineup was able to score at more than run-a-ball. Hence the final score for the newcomers was a low 106, being bundled out in 19.2 overs.
A Slog for the Dutch During the Chase
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Chasing a moderate target like 106, and needing less than six runs per over, the Dutch never had too much trouble keeping up with the scoring rate. And with some decent scores from Max O’Dowd who top scored with 54, and Vikramjit Singh who made 22, the Netherlands innings seemed always on track. However, there might be some questions about the clinical nature of the performance (i.e. the lack thereof).
For a team like the Netherlands, which is not exactly new to the international scene, unlike several teams that are competing in this year’s ICC World T20, the Dutch have been around with a notable presence going back to the early 2000s. Thus in a game against a team like Nepal, there would have been some expectation that they would stamp their authority on the game. This was not to be.
An Interesting Group for an Interesting Team
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The Netherlands is placed in Group D along with Sri Lanka and South Africa with Bangladesh completing the stronger teams. Whilst clearly among the underdogs of the group as far as qualification is concerned, the Dutch could fancy their chances against the opposition they are to face. Whilst South Africa are the top team of the bunch the Dutch have beaten the South Africans the last time they met in the World Cup in India.
Sri Lanka is not in the best of form and anything can happen with Bangladesh. At least this is what the Dutch side is likely to be thinking and hoping for.
About the Author
Damian Thar writes on a range of topics. In addition to his professional work, he writes essays on subjects like philosophy, history, and culture. He also writes and edits books and in his free time, he makes YouTube videos on topics like religion, theology, and current events. You can find his work here.
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