Nepal made a superb comeback in their second fourth round match of the ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) defeating the Netherlands by 19 runs at the VRA Grounds in Amstelveen on Monday.

Nepal had lost the first match on Saturday by seven wickets after the team was folded for a paltry 94 but the victory on Monday has kept them alive in the race to qualify for the 2018 ICC World Cup Qualifiers. The top four teams in the eight-nation tournament will earn a direct qualification to the Qualifiers to be held in Bangladesh.

Nepal are unmoved at the sixth spot on net run rate level on six points with Kenya, who are yet to play their fourth round games. Netherlands,  who suffered their first defeat in the tournament, still lead the table with 12 points.

Nepal rode on a half century from skipper Paras Khadka to make a respectable 217-9 in 50 overs. Khadka then returned to pick up two wickets along with Sompal Kami and Basanta Regmi as the Dutch team was 198 all out in 48.3 overs.

Khadka took the first two Dutch wicket to fall with Sompal getting another scalp as the hosts were reduced to 21-3 in 7.3 overs. Former South African allrounder Roelof van der Merwe and Max O’Dowd brought their team back in the game with an 82-run stand for the fourth wicket. Sandeep Lamichhane then bowled van der Merwe round his legs to provide Nepal the breakthrough.

Van der Merwe made 56 off 61 balls with four boundaries and a six. Sagar Pun and Shakti Gauchan picked up a wicket each to reduce the Netherlands to 140-6 in 38 overs.

But Nepal were tested one more time as Tim Gruijters (44) and Timm van der Gugten shared 53 runs.

Regmi then returned in the 48th over to remove Gruijters and followed it up with the dismissal of Paul van Meekeren (one). Kami got rid of Guten (36) to seal the game for the tourists.

Earlier, Nepal lost Anil Mandal (four) and Sharad Vesawkar (six) at 41-2. Gyanendra Malla was the only bright spot in Nepal top order, making a 52-ball 39 as Nepal were left reeling at 65-3 in 19.2 overs.

Khadka then resurrected Nepali innings with a 118-run stand for the fourth wicket with Sagar Pun. Just as it seemed, Khadka would reach his second List ‘A’ century, the Nepali captain fell to Ahsan Malik for a 94-ball 84. Khadka’s innings included seven boundaries and a six. Pun was next to go for a 78-ball 45 that included two hits to the fence. Michael Rippon was the pick of the Netherlands with figures of 4-35 from six overs. Ahsan Malik also had two scalps.