Bowlers give Netherlands crushing win

Netherlands 96 for 3 (Barresi 37, Myburgh 33*) beat Nepal 94 (Mandal 20, Van der Gugten 3-21, Rippon 3-21) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Pace bowler Timm van der Gugten and chinaman bowler Michael Rippon led a demolition job to help Netherlands crush Nepal by seven wickets in their World Cricket League Championship match on Saturday.

Van der Gugten and Rippon returned identical figures of 3 for 21 as Netherlands shot Nepal out for 94 after electing to field at the VRA Ground in Amstelveen. Stephan Myburgh then guided Netherlands' small chase with an unbeaten 33, and along with wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi, who slammed 37 off 33 balls, completed the win in 16.5 overs.

Apart from Nepal's top three - Gyanendra Malla, Anil Mandal and Sharad Vesawkar - only Sompal Kami managed to get into double figures. Malla and Mandal's 23-run opening stand was the highest Nepal could manage as they were dismissed in 38.1 overs.

Van der Gugten and Rippon found support from left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, who took 2 for 12, while Mudassar Bukhari and Paul van Meekeren took a wicket apiece.

Netherlands lost Rippon in the fourth over with just 13 on the board but Myburgh and Barresi then came together for a second-wicket stand worth 57 that shut out any early advantage Nepal may have hoped to attain. Both batsmen struck five boundaries each, before Basant Regmi had Barresi bowled with Netherlands 25 away from a win. Ben Cooper could not hang around for long, but van der Merwe and Myburgh saw the team through to the finish line.

Both teams face off again on Monday at the same venue. Netherlands are perched on top of the table with 12 points, while Nepal are sixth with four points after seven games.