Oman consolidate lead at the top of the table
Ireland claimed a 13-run victory over Nepal in a low-scoring encounter to get their third win of the series and remain second on the points table. Having elected to bat first, they lost Kevin O'Brien early before Paul Stirling and (59) and Andrew Balbirnie (38) added 88 for the second wicket.
However, none of the remaining batsmen got going thereafter, as seven wickets fell for just 29 runs. It took a counterattacking cameo from No.9 Stuart Thompson to help them cross the 140-run mark. Thanks to his 11-ball 21* that included two sixes, they put up 145/8 in 20 overs.
Nepal, who were unbeaten in the series before this game, looked well on track to clinch yet another win almost 15 overs into the chase. They crossed the 100-run mark in the 15th over, and needed just 46 runs off 30 balls with eight wickets in hand. However, a spectacular collapse followed, where Nepal collapsed from 100/2 to 116/8 in three overs. Karan KC's nine-ball 16 kept them alive till the final over, but Mark Adair, the pick of the Ireland bowlers, dismissed him on the fourth-last delivery of the game.
The second game of the day saw the hosts clinch a resounding seven-wicket victory after bundling Netherlands out for just 94. Electing to bat first, the visitors looked in a decent position at 71/2 in nine overs.
However, Khawar Ali changed the complexion of the game with a splendid hat-trick in the tenth over. He sent back Antonius Staal, Colin Ackermann and Roelof van der Merwe off his first three deliveries in the game. Netherlands never recovered thereafter, and folded for 94 in 15.3 overs.
Any hope of the visitors securing a astonishing win was quashed early in the chase, as Oman openers Khawar and Aqib Ilyas took them to 63/0 in nine overs. Netherlands skipper Pieter Seelar took a couple of wickets lineup thereafter, but the target was too small for Oman to feel threatened at any point. They completed the chase in 15.1 overs with seven wickets in hand, claiming their third victory of the series in as many games.
