Nepal register consecutive win in Scotland

By Cricketing Country | Posted Posted Jun 05, 2025

Nepal secured their second consecutive victory in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2, defeating the Netherlands by five wickets at the Forfarshire Cricket Club ground on Wednesday.

In a surprise decision, Dutch captain Scott Edwards opted to bat first in windy and overcast conditions. The move backfired as the Netherlands were bowled out for 225, a target Nepal chased down with 17 balls to spare.

Nepal struck early with the ball, removing both Dutch openers for just 16 runs—Karan KC and Sompal Kami doing the early damage. Vikramjit Singh and Scott Edwards (48) then steadied the innings with a 72-run stand.

After Vikramjit’s dismissal for 38, the Netherlands struggled to maintain momentum. A crucial 55-run partnership for the eighth wicket between Noah Croes and Roelof van der Merwe (21) helped lift the Dutch to a respectable total.

Croes top-scored with 48 off 55 balls, including five boundaries.

Sompal Kami led Nepal’s bowling attack with figures of 9.1-0-48-3. Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Lalit Rajbanshi each picked up two wickets.

Nepal’s chase began cautiously. Opener Asif Sheikh was dismissed inside the powerplay, bowled by Paul van Meekeren. Michael Levitt then struck twice in his first spell, removing Kushal Bhurtel (25) and Bhim Sharki (11), leaving Nepal at 68/3.

Captain Rohit Paudel (23) and Aarif Sheikh stabilized the innings with a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket. Aarif then anchored the chase with a career-best 78 off 99 balls, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes.

He was well supported by vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee, who remained unbeaten on 38 as the pair shared a 89-run partnership to seal the win.

Michael Levitt finished with figures of 2/43 from his 10 overs. Paul van Meekeren and Vivian Kingma took a wicket each, while van der Merwe bowled economically, conceding just 27 runs from 8.1 overs.

Nepal will next face hosts Scotland on Sunday after a four-day break, while the Netherlands will meet Scotland on Friday.