Group D has South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh besides the Netherlands and Nepal. Even if one of them withdrew from the tournament, got abducted by aliens, or forgot how to play cricket at all, the other two would march toward the Super 8s before letting the associates even move a muscle. The Netherlands and Nepal do not realistically (not mathematically, hypothetically, or miraculously) have a chance to make it to the next stage, given how tough this group is. It’s as if this group is set by default at the hard level of difficulty. However, T20 is known for its mercurial nature. The Dutch have experienced it quite a few times themselves. And if you ask us, hoping for whatever chance of defying the odds there is, is worth everything.
The Netherlands have their favorite big guy in this group; South Africa. If they do beat South Africa in the third ICC tournament running, after triumphing over the Nepalese–beating one of Bangladesh or Sri Lanka would not be a big ask. But before they grab the victory against the Proteas, they need to do a far more achievable task: beat Nepal.
Nepal are one of the sides that are very likely to go winless this edition. But avoiding that, even if by coming out on the top in a solitary fixture, would be buzz-worthy, especially noting how passionate about this sport, the fans of this team are. However, far away from sanity and odds, there is one thing that is always there to count on, something that the superiors fear and the minnows daydream of, something which is more common in T20Is than you would expect; Upsets. And Nepal chronicling one of these devils would be a treat to watch.
Team Overview:
The Dutch might be without the services of a few of their best players including Roelof van der Merwe, Colin Ackermann, and Brandon Glover, but their team has still a good set of players who are hard to stop once they get going. Bas de Leede would be the leader of the pack consisting of Michael Levitt, Tim Pringle, and Sybrand Engelbrecht and one might as well count on the team to do well on bland Caribbean pitches with these players in their batting lineup. They need to make sure that they do not get too complacent when the game turns toward them, especially during the middle overs, everything else would easily fall into place.
Nepal has a blend of seasoned players as well as newcomers. Sandeep Lamichanne, who could have been a match-winner for them and increased their hopes of doing better, could not make it into the squad (deservingly). However, Nepal still has the potential to do well. The Nepalese batters play an aggressive brand of cricket which could be very handy early in the innings on Caribbean decks. For Nepal, a lot rides on how their star batters Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushall Malla, and Rohit Paudel play.
Head-to-Head Matches:
In 11 completed games between both teams, the Netherlands conquered the Nepalese six times, while the latter won five games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
As if hell-bent on ruining cricket’s coming to the United States, rain once again is likely to pay a visit during the match in Dallas. Grand Prairie Stadium is a high-scoring ground. The Major League Cricket record here testifies to that and those with not-so-good memory can keep in mind the recent clash between the USA and Canada which saw a whopping 391 runs being scored off 226 balls collectively. A run-fest is in the offing and both teams stacked with batting options would love that.
Prediction:
While Nepal has batters who can take the Netherlands bowlers to the cleaners, there is still very little chance of them winning this game. The Netherlands are odds-on favorites to get over the line. Though the game could turn into a thriller and who would not love that?
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
