ICC World Cricket League Championship winners the Netherlands defeated Nepal by 45 runs to finish seventh in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier at Kwekwe Sports Club.
Batting first, the Dutch collected 189 for nine with Bas de Leede (39), Max O’Dowd (28), Roelof van der Merwe (25), Scott Edwards (25) and Pieter Seelaar (23) making contributions with the bat.
Nepal fast bowler Sompal Kami returned figures of four for 24, while Lalit Rajbanshi and Sandeep Lamichhane bagged two wickets each, conceding 38 and 41 runs, respectively.
Paras Khadka plays a shot. Photo: ICC
In turn, van der Merwe recorded figures of 10-1-20-4 as Nepal were spun out for 144. Van der Merwe was later declared Player of the Match. Sompal followed up his four for 24 with a top-score of 36.
The Netherlands and the three highest finishing Associate members – Scotland, UAE and Nepal – have earned ODI status for the next four years till 2022, while PNG and Hong Kong have been relegated to the ICC World Cricket League Division 2.
Despite defeat, Nepal celebrates concluding CWCQ with ODI status. Photo: ICC
Captain Paras Khadka said: “I think overall the highlight for us will be getting ODI status, I’m glad that we managed to pull through. All these years we have been working very hard to get that. We pushed ourselves although maybe we could have done better but in the end, ODI status is what we are very proud to take home.”
Brief Score: Netherlands 189-9, 50 overs (Bas de Leede 39, Max O’Dowd 28, Roelof van der Merwe 25, Scott Edwards 25, Pieter Seelaar 23, Shane Snater 23 not out; Sompal Kami 4-24; Lalit Rajbanshi 2-38, Sandeep Lamichhane 2/41) beat Nepal 144 all out, 44.4 overs (Sompal Kami 36, Dipendra Airee 25, Paras Khadka 22; Roelof van der Merwe 4-20, Pieter Seelar 2/30, Fred Klaassen 2-37) by 45 runs.