Kathmandu: Aarif Sheikh scored a composed half-century as Nepal secured their second consecutive win in the Scotland Tri-series of ICC World Cup League 2 defeating the Netherlands by five wickets at Forthill, Dundee, on Wednesday.

Player-of-the-match Aarif struck 78 off 99 as Nepal made 225-6 in 47.1 overs after the Netherlands, who chose to bat first, were bowled out at 225 with five balls to spare. 

Nepal had edged past hosts Scotland by one wicket on Monday and will face them again on Sunday, followed by another encounter with the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Coming in at number five, Aarif played a crucial knock, peppered with seven boundaries and two sixes. He stitched together a vital 89-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Dipendra Singh Airee before falling to Vivian Kingma, caught by Teja Nidamanuru.

Dipendra provided excellent support, remaining unbeaten on 38 off 51 balls, including three fours. Among the top order, Kushal Bhurtel contributed 25 off 42, and Aasif Sheikh added 19 off 22. Skipper Rohit Paudel chipped in with 23 from 39 deliveries while Bhim Sharki made 11 off 26. Gulsan Jha finished the chase confidently, scoring an unbeaten 11 off just four balls.

For the Netherlands, Michael Levitt was the pick of the bowlers, returning with figures of 10-0-43-2. Paul van Meekeren and Vivian Kingma claimed a wicket apiece.

Earlier, Dutch openers Michael Levitt (1) and Max O’Dowd (4) fell cheaply, putting the side on the back foot early. Middle-order batter Noah Croes top-scored with a fluent 48 off 55 balls before being bowled by medium pacer Sompal Kami.

Vikramjit Singh and captain Scott Edwards steadied the innings with a 72-run partnership for the third wicket. Vikramjit contributed 38 off 56, while Edwards made a patient 46 off 71. Zach Lion-Cachet (27), Roelof van der Merwe (21), and Teja Nidamanuru (13) added valuable runs down the order.

Sompal Kami spearheaded Nepal’s bowling attack, finishing with figures of 3 for 48 in 9.1 overs. Medium pacer Karan KC and the spin duo of Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi chipped in with two wickets apiece, rounding off a disciplined bowling performance.