Netherlands close in on World Cup Qualifier with Nepal win
Netherlands impress again as they look to earn a spot at next year's 50-over World Cup.
Netherlands have moved one step closer to booking their place in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier event with an impressive six-wicket triumph over Nepal in Utrecht on Thursday.
Pacer Alex Roy (3/24) and veteran spinner Roelof van der Merwe (3/15) picked up three wicket hauls to help restrict Nepal to just 157 and an unbeaten 61* from skipper Scott Edwards ensured the Netherlands chased down the victory target with relative ease with more than five overs remaining.
Netherlands v Nepal | Match Highlights | ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2
Watch the match highlights as the Netherlands defeat Nepal by six wickets in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2.
Middle-order batter Noah Croes also chipped in with a valuable 34* and the right-hander suggested it was close to the perfect all-round performance.
"Yeah, good performance all in all," Croes told Netherlands Cricket after the win.
"The bowlers set the tone up front. It was nice to take a few early wickets. I thought Alex and Kyle (Klein)'s first spells were really good. There was pressure from both ends and then the spinners held the game together with Logan (van Beek) and Bas (de Leede) and everyone chipping in. So I think we did a really good job to restrict them to that total.
"And I think with the bat, there was a bit of a grind out there, but Scotty batted really well out there. Just grinded our way all out the end and got the result, so that was good. Our games sort of complement each other, scoring in similar areas. So it was nice to spend some time around the middle with him."
The victory sees the Netherlands further cement third place on the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 standings, with the top four sides at the end of the event earning direct qualification into the World Cup Qualifier.
Netherlands take on Namibia in Utrecht on Saturday, before further League 2 fixtures against Nepal and Namibia again next week prior to their final tri-series at the end of the year against the UAE and Oman.
But Croes said the side wasn't looking to far ahead and the only focus was recovering quickly ahead of the clash with Namibia.
"We have day off to get our bodies right. And (Namibia) have a nice well-rounded attack and pose different threats to Nepal," Croes added.
"So we'll get our homework done and excited to hopefully get our second win on the board."