KATHMANDU: Nepal’s batting woes continued as they suffered a six-wicket defeat to hosts the Netherlands in the eighth tri-series of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 on Thursday, marking their second consecutive loss in the tournament.

Playing at Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd in Utrecht, Nepal were bowled out for just 157 runs in 44.4 overs after being asked to bat first. The Netherlands comfortably chased down the target in 44.1 overs, losing only four wickets.

Dutch captain Scott Edwards anchored the chase with an unbeaten 61 off 89 balls, including two fours and a six. Noah Croes remained unbeaten on 34, while Cedric de Leede and Zach Lion-Cachet contributed 21 runs each.

For Nepal, Dipendra Singh Airee, Sompal Kami, and Lalit Rajbanshi claimed one wicket apiece.
Earlier, Arif Sheikh top-scored for Nepal with 41 off 90 balls, while Gulsan Jha made 29 and vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee added 21. Aasif Sheikh scored 14, Karan KC remained unbeaten on 13, and Sompal Kami contributed 10, with the remaining batters failing to reach double figures.

For the Netherlands, Roelof van der Merwe and Aryan Dutt claimed three wickets each, while Logan van Beek picked up two and Kyle Klein took one.
The defeat further dents Nepal’s hopes of securing a top-four finish and direct qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Nepal remain fifth in the standings with 24 points, while fourth-placed Oman have 31 points with two matches in hand. Another defeat would leave Nepal’s qualification hopes all but over.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, strengthened their position in the standings, moving to 34 points from 29 matches and edging closer to securing a top-four finish. Nepal will look to bounce back when they face Namibia in their next match on July 27.