Nepal falls short against Netherlands in Women's T20I Tri-Series opener

Nepal falls short against Netherlands in Women’s T20I Tri-Series opener

cricnepal Staff

January 31, 2025, 2 min read

Nepal faced a 20-run defeat against the Netherlands in the opening match of the Women’s T20I Tri-Series. In an exciting contest, the Nepalese side fell short, starting the series with a loss.

Invited to bat first at the TU Cricket Ground, the Netherlands set a record total of 157/4 in their allotted 20 overs—the highest Women’s T20I score at the venue. Despite losing two early wickets, Robine Rijke anchored the innings brilliantly, becoming the first batter to score a half-century at TU in WT20Is. She remained unbeaten on 59, striking eight boundaries. Sterre Kalis and Heather Siegers contributed 29 and 23 runs, respectively, while Iris Zwilling provided late fireworks with a blistering 31 off just 13 balls. The Dutch side accelerated in the final overs, adding 40 runs in the last three.

For Nepal, Puja Mahato, Kabita Kunwar, Ishwori Bista and Sita Rana Magar grabbed one wicket each.

Chasing a challenging target, Nepal struggled to build a significant partnership and found themselves at 55/4 by the 11th over. Puja Mahato provided a quick spark with a 14-ball 24, reviving Nepal’s hopes. However, Sita Rana Magar, who was anchoring the innings, couldn’t capitalize on her start and was dismissed for 28 off 45 balls. Kabita Joshi fought hard with a late 27 off 17 balls, but it wasn’t enough as Nepal ended their innings at 137/7, falling short by 20 runs.

Eva Lynch and Caroline De Lange picked up two wickets each for the Dutch side. Iris Zwiling also had a good figure of 4-0-11-1. The Netherlands bags two points with a victory.

Nepal is competing in the series against two strong opponents, Thailand and the Netherlands, both of whom hold ODI status. The tournament follows a triple round-robin format, with the team finishing at the top of the table being crowned the champions.