When Nepal faced the Netherlands in their final game of the ICC CWC League 2 tri-series in Scotland on Tuesday, they aimed for nothing less than two more crucial points.

The Rhinos defeated the Dutch side and hosts with a win in the first two encounters. Scotland bounced back in the second game against Nepal on Sunday, pulling off a dramatic final-over win. Thus, Stuart Law’s side were hungry for a win to end the tri-series on a high note.

And on Tuesday, they did just that, defeating the Netherlands by 16 runs.

Nepal batted first after losing the toss in Forthill, Dundee. It was the first time in the tri-series that Nepal were batting first.

Nepal started with three changes. While Sompal Kami and Gulshan Kumar Jha sustained injuries during training, opening batter and wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh was replaced by Anil Kumar Sah. Kami and Jha were replaced by Nandan Yadav and Basir Ahamad. Yadav became Nepal’s 42nd player to don the ODI cap.

Yadav stayed not out at 10 off 12 while Sandeep Lamichhane got run out as the final wicket in the last ball of the over. Aarif Sheikh, who was crucial in Nepal’s previous win over the Dutch, starred on Tuesday as well, contributing 84 off 85 with seven fours and two sixes. He departed as the ninth wicket in 49.3 overs. He missed a full toss ball and got bowled in the spell of pacer Paul van Meekeren.

Sah, who was dropped at 0 off 12 by Wesley Barresi in the sixth over, departed at 2 off 16 in the seventh over as the second wicket. Kushal Bhurtel was the first to go in the fifth over after adding 18 off 19.

Skipper Paudel and Bhim Sharki also added 35 runs each in 60 and 38 deliveries, respectively.

Meekeren bagged four wickets in his 10-over spell, conceding 58 runs. All-rounder Michael Levitt chipped in with three wickets.

The Dutch skipper, Scott Edwards, who returned after a hamstring injury led him to miss the previous game against the Scots, used five bowlers, of which four were full-timers. Levitt, who is an optional bowler, also bowled 10 overs and gave away 49 runs.

Bhim Sharki, Dipendra Singh Airee and Rohit Kumar Paudel were Levitt’s victims. And it was Levitt who opened for the Netherlands as they were called to chase 237 runs.

Meanwhile, before Levitt faced the first ball of the second inning, the Dutch side already had 10 runs on their board that came through two penalties of five runs each.

Basir Ahamad was the reason. He was penalised five runs each in 36.3 and 39.2 overs for running straight over the crease and affecting the pitch. He contributed 11 off 25 with the bat.

Similarly, it was debutant Yadav who gave Nepal the first relief. Max O’Dowd (4 off 10) was caught out in Yadav’s second spell in the fourth over.

O’Dowd’s opening pair Levitt (27 off 27) departed as the second wicket when Sandeep Lamichhane came to bowl his first over in the 12th.

Lamichhane went on to take three wickets while his spinning partner Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi bagged two. Rajbanshi’s first wicket was Barresi (36 off 60).

The Dutch captain, Edwards, was the second highest scorer for the team with 30 off 47. When he departed in the first delivery of the 31st over after getting bowled by Rajbanshi, the Netherlands were at 132/5.

At the end of 45 overs, the Dutch were 199/7 with Kyle Klein (23 off 42) and experienced Roelof van der Merwe (13 off 18) at the crease. They lost Teja Nidamanuru (17 off 36) and Noah Croes (22 off 27) in the spell of Lamichhane and Bhurtel, respectively.

It was again debutant Yadav who brought relief to the Nepali dugout as Merwe (16 off 22) and Klein (25 off 46) got caught by Sharki and Paudel, respectively, in the 47th over. With the last wicket remaining for the Netherlands, Karan KC defended 18 off the final over. Meekeren got caught for a back sweep in the second ball leading the Netherlands to get bundled for 220 runs.

Nepal, with 12 points from four wins and two N/R in 16 games, now have 20 more games remaining in League 2 across five tri-series. Nepal and the USA will travel to the UAE in October, while the Rhinos will host Oman and the UAE in November.

Nepal’s return to League 2 will then have to wait for August 2026 when they visit the Netherlands alongside Namibia. They will reach Oman with Canada in October 2026, while the Rhinos, in their last tri-series of the League 2 cycle (2024-26), will host the USA and the Netherlands in November.