The ninth and tenth match of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023 saw West Indies defeat Nepal by massive 101 runs at the Harare Sports club and Netherlands edge past the USA by five wickets at the Takashinga Sports Club.
Asked to bat first in the ninth match, West Indies batters unleashed an onslaught on Nepal bowlers. The Caribbean innings were dominated by outstanding performances from Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran. Hope displayed his class and skill with a brilliant century, scoring 132 runs off just 129 deliveries. Meanwhile, Pooran was equally impressive and smashed quickfire 115 runs off 94 balls, providing solid support to Hope. Their partnership laid the foundation for a formidable total of 339 for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 50 overs. Lalit Rajbanshi was the pick of the bowlers for Nepal as he bagged three wickets for 52 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
In reply, Nepal batters fought hard but struggled to keep up with the required run rate. Aarif Sheikh played a crucial knock of 63 runs off 93 balls, anchoring the innings and attempting to stabilize the Nepal chase. Gulsan Jha contributed with a valuable 42 runs off 58 deliveries. However, the rest of the batting order failed to provide substantial contributions and Nepal eventually were bowled out by the Men in Maroon for 238 runs.
The West Indies bowling line was led by Jason Holder‘s exceptional bowling performance. Holder claimed three wickets, conceding just 34 runs in his ten overs and played a major role in dismantling Nepal’s batting lineup.
West Indies thrash Nepal by 101 runs#CWC23 #WIvNEP #WorldCupQualifiers #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/052eWAvWcU
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 22, 2023
On the other hand the Netherlands won the toss and elected to bowl first in their match against Nepal. The decision seemed justified as the USA batters struggled to build partnerships early on. Shayan Jahangir held the innings together with a well-constructed knock of 71 runs from 86 deliveries. Jessy Singh provided support with his patient 38 off 53 balls.
The Dutch bowlers put in a disciplined performance, preventing the USA from accelerating their scoring rate. Bas de Leede and Ryan Klein were the picks of the bowlers, claiming two wickets each. De Leede conceded 37 runs in his quota of ten overs, while Klein was economical, giving away only 31 runs.
Chasing a target of 212, the Netherlands got off to a solid start with Scott Edwards leading the way. Edwards played a blistering innings of 67 runs from just 60 deliveries and provided a strong foundation for the run chase. Teja Nidamanuru further propelled the Dutch innings with his aggressive stroke play as well and contributed a brilliant 58 off 68 balls.
Despite losing a few wickets in the middle overs, the Netherlands remained composed and continued to score at a brisk pace. Although Jasdeep Singh was the standout bowler for the USA and took two wickets for 35 runs in his spell, his efforts went in vain as the Netherlands comfortably reached the target with 6.4 overs to spare and five wickets in hand.
Netherlands hand USA their third defeat of the tournament#CWC23 #NEDvUSA #WorldCupQualifiers #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/Bw35tGBeAG
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) June 22, 2023
