KATHMANDU: Nepal secured a thrilling six-wicket victory over the Netherlands in the ongoing Tri-Nation T20I Series being held in Scotland.

The match, played in Glasgow, saw Nepal chase down the 175-run target in 19.4 overs, losing just four wickets.With this win, Nepal now has four points from three matches and has moved to the top of the table based on net run rate, overtaking the Netherlands.

Nepal’s win was spearheaded by opener Kushal Bhurtel, who scored a match-high 65 runs off 51 balls, hitting six fours. His innings laid a solid foundation for the chase.

His opening partner Aasif Sheikh added 7 runs from 6 balls before getting out after a 22-run opening stand. Bhurtel then shared a 54-run partnership with Bhim Sharki, who contributed a quickfire 27 off 16 balls with two boundaries and a six.

Captain Rohit Paudel added 5 runs from 7 balls. Arif Sheikh anchored the middle with a fluent 39 off 23 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes. Vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee remained unbeaten on 16 off 12 balls, while Lokesh Bam also stayed not out with 12 off 4 balls.

For the Netherlands, bowlers Rolph van der Merwe, Ben Fletcher, Aryan Dutt, and Zack Lion Cachet took one wicket each. Earlier, the Netherlands opted to bat first after winning the toss and posted 174 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Opener Michael Levitt top-scored with a powerful 86 off 53 balls, including six fours and five sixes. Roelof van der Merwe added 36 from 21 balls, while Aryan Dutt remained not out with 17 from 18 balls, and Saqib Zulfiqar contributed 14 off 11. The rest of the Dutch batters failed to reach double figures.

For Nepal, Karan KC claimed two wickets. Sandeep Lamichhane, Rupesh Singh, Lalit Rajbanshi, and Dipendra Singh Airee took one wicket each. Nepal will now face Scotland in the final match of the series on Friday.