Nepal slump to 8-wicket defeat against Namibia

By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, July 22: Nepal made a disappointing start to the ICC World Cup Cricket League 2 triangular series, suffering an eight wicket defeat against Namibia in Utrecht, the Netherlands, on Tuesday.

Nepal struggled with both bat and ball.

Electing to field first, Namibia bowled Nepal out for a modest 157 in 46.5 overs, thanks to a superb six wicket haul from JJ Smit.

Namibia then chased down the 158 run target in 37.4 overs, finishing on 160 for 2. Opener Michael van Lingen and one down Jan Frylinck struck half centuries to steer Namibia comfortably home.

After losing opener Alexander Busing Voischenk for 2 in the seventh over to Nandan Yadav, van Lingen and Frylinck added 87 for the second wicket. Van Lingen made 51 off 79 balls, including four boundaries, before being bowled by skipper Rohit Paudel in the 27th over.

Frylinck then combined with Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton to complete the chase with an unbeaten 52 run stand for the third wicket. Frylinck top scored with 78 off 89 balls, hitting eight fours and a six, while Loftie Eaton remained not out on 17 from 39 deliveries.

Nepal used seven bowlers, but only Yadav and Paudel managed a wicket apiece.

Earlier, Paudel and Dipendra Singh Airee shared a 53 run partnership for the fourth wicket, but the rest of the batting line up faltered. Opener Kushal Bhurtel was bowled by Smit for 2 on the second ball of the match, leaving Nepal at 2 for 1. One down Ishan Pandey struggled, scoring just 8 from 31 balls before falling to Smit in the ninth over. The other opener, Aasif Sheikh, contributed 16.

Paudel scored 31, Airee 30, Gulshan Jha 20, Karan KC 18, and Sompal Kami 15.

Namibia’s Smit was outstanding, taking 6 for 27 in 9.5 overs, and was named player of the match. Jack Brassell and Bernard Scholtz chipped in with two wickets each.

With this victory, Namibia drew level on points with fifth placed Nepal and climbed to sixth, overtaking Canada, who also have 24 points.

Nepal cannot afford further defeats if they are to secure a top four finish for direct qualification to the World Cup Qualifiers and retain ODI status by staying in the top six.

Nepal next faces host Netherlands on Thursday, 23 July.