What began as a regular T20I quickly turned into a full-blown spectacle. Nepal, needing 16 off the final over of regulation time, found a hero in Nandan Yadav. With the tension mounting, Yadav delivered, hammering Kyle Klein for 4, 2, 2, and another 4, levelling the scores and setting off a chain of events that cricket has never witnessed before.
The first Super Over set the tone for the chaos ahead. Nepal, batting first, smashed 19 runs off Daniel Doram’s over, thanks to Kushal Bhurtel’s fireworks which included two sixes and a four. But the Dutch weren’t ready to back down. Michael Levitt cleared the ropes on the first ball, before Max O’Dowd closed out the chase with a six and a four, matching Nepal’s 19 to keep the match alive.
Then came the second Super Over. Netherlands put up 17 this time, with Lalit Rajbanshi getting hit for two sixes but pulling things back just enough. Nepal’s response looked strong with Rohit Paudel going big early and Dipendra Singh Airee dragging it to the wire. Airee smashed the final ball over cow corner to force, incredibly, a third Super Over.
But all streaks end somewhere. The third and final Super Over belonged to the Dutch. Zach Lion-Cachet bowled a dream over, giving away nothing and taking two wickets. That shut the door on Nepal. Levitt, ever the finisher, needed just one swing of the bat, launching Sandeep Lamichhane over long-on for six to seal the win and settle this marathon of a match.
Earlier in the day, the Netherlands had posted 152 after a topsy-turvy batting effort. Max O’Dowd set the tone with early boundaries, but spin soon took over. Lalit Rajbanshi removed O’Dowd with his first ball, and Lamichhane’s post-powerplay spell ripped through the Dutch middle order. He cleaned up Levitt, had skipper Scott Edwards caught in the deep, and dismissed Noah Croes, keeping Nepal in the hunt.
Still, Saqib Zulfiqar held firm in the death overs, guiding Netherlands past 150. In reply, Nepal stumbled early, losing Lokesh Bam and Anil Sah quickly. But Bhurtel and Paudel staged a quickfire counterattack, putting Nepal back on track. Doram, though, turned the match again, his three wickets throttled the scoring in the middle overs.
With 56 needed off the final five, Nepal rode on late cameos from Rupesh, Paudel, and Karan KC to take it all the way.
But in the end, history was written not in regular play, but in three nail-biting Super Overs.
(With TOI inputs)
