(AP Photo)
Max O’Dowd, a key contributor to the Netherlands’ six-wicket win over Nepal in their T20 World Cup Group D opener, recognized the formidable challenge presented by the Asian team.“It wasn’t an easy win.”
The Grand Prairie Stadium was a sea of Nepal’s colors and chants on Tuesday as their supporters filled the stands for their T20 World Cup opener. Despite the energetic backing and their determined performance, Nepal couldn’t clinch victory against the Netherlands in a closely contested match.
On Chasing a modest target of 106, O’Dowd remarked, “I definitely wouldn’t say it was easy and a World Cup win is amazing, any World Cup win is great. I think our bowlers bowled extremely well to restrict them to 106 but you see Nepal have so much fight and spirit that they managed to bring it down to what it was. I don’t think it was ever a case of it being an easy win,” O’Dowd said after the match.
The Netherlands bowling unit, spearheaded by left-arm spinner Tim Pringle (3-20) and medium-pacer Logan van Beek (3-18), delivered an outstanding collective performance, restricting Nepal to a mere 106 runs.
In pursuit of 107, the Netherlands faced an early setback when Sompal Kami dismissed Michael Levitt in just the second over. However, Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh (22) steadied the ship with a composed 40-run partnership, easing any Dutch nerves. Sybrand Engelbrecht’s contribution of 14 runs from 16 balls further narrowed the target.
Despite their efforts, Nepal’s electric fielding made every run a challenge for the Netherlands, despite a couple of dropped catches.
“Personally, I felt like I really had to think about what was best for the team in certain situations and you could see the pressure they were putting on us, the way they field. I think they’re one of the best fielding units in the world. So, they put a lot of pressure on us and definitely didn’t make it easy. But I’m just happy that we managed to get over the line,” O’Dowd noted.
O’Dowd’s resolve to lead his team to victory was amplified by the crowd’s fervent support, even as Nepal maintained relentless pressure during the middle and death overs. He showcased remarkable patience and composure, particularly between the 11.2 and 18th overs, when finding boundaries became challenging.
Yet, in the 19th over, O’Dowd shattered the drought, unleashing a flurry of runs against Abinash Bohara, smashing a boundary followed by a six in consecutive deliveries. This decisive display effectively secured the victory for his team, leaving just 13 runs required off the final 12 balls.
Reflecting on the victory, O’Dowd shared, “For me, it’s just I guess trusting the processes that I have and I feel like a lot of us guys are probably quite similar. We have nerves and stuff before the games. You see the crowd. It kind of builds up. But then once you step over that line, it’s just another game of cricket, really. And you try not to let it annoy you or get in your head. But yeah, for me, I really love it.”
Next, the Netherlands will journey to New York for their second group stage encounter against South Africa on June 8 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
