Nepal and the Netherlands will vie in a virtual final for the Super Six stage of the ICC World Cup Qualifier at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Saturday.

The outcome of the match is likely to turn decisive to determine the third team from Group ‘A’ for Super Six rounds. Only the top three teams from two groups of five teams each will make it to the Super Six. The two finalists in the Super Six will earn berths for One Day International (ODI) World Cup in India in October and November.

As of now, West Indies and hosts Zimbabwe occupy top two positions respectively in Group ‘A’ with maximum four points from two games. The Netherlands and Nepal are third and fourth with two points each and separated by net run rates. USA, the other team of Group ‘A’ are yet to open scoring losing all three matches played and already out of the Super Six race.

Nepal have also played three games and lost against the two strongest sides of the group – the West Indies and the hosts Zimbabwe– and will vie in the last group match against the Netherlands.

Unlike their South Asian opponents, the Dutch side have played two matches and will vie against the West Indies in their last group game on Monday. But West Indies and Zimbabwe are among the favourites for passage into Super Six as the top two teams.

Both Nepal and the Netherlands have registered win only over the United States (US) in the group game and as things stand now they both seem to be vying for the third spot up for grab. Thus, Saturday's outcome is likely to play a key role in determining the third team from the group.

While Nepal beat the US by six wickets, the Netherlands pulled off a five wicket win over the same opponents. Nepal lost to Zimbabwe by eight wickets in their opening match and 101 runs against West Indies on Thursday. The Netherlands lost to Zimbabwe by six wickets before beating the USA by five wickets on Thursday.

The Dutch side have a better track record in the ODI World Cup having featured in the finals on four occasions including 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2011. However, they have crashed out from the initial stage on all four occasions. They won two among 20 games and lost 18. Unlike them, Nepal, who started to play international cricket in 1996, have never qualified for the World Cup finals.

Nepal embarked on their ODI journey in 2018 and played their first two games against the Dutch side. They lost their opening match by 55 runs in Amstelveen and beat the home team by one run in August.

Nepal secured a direct berth for the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers securing third place finish in the ICC World Cup League 2, pulling off miraculous 11 wins from the last 12 games.

The Netherlands missed a chance to secure a direct berth for the World Cup after they finished at the bottom of the 13-team ICC World Cup Super League. The top eight teams were guaranteed direct berths for the World Cup finals. They won only three among 24 games.