The Dutch chased down the target of 107 runs in 18.4 overs, with Bas de Leede hitting the winning boundary. Vikram Singh contributed 22 runs, while Sybrand Engelbrecht scored 14.
Nepal’s chances were hurt by three dropped catches, including a missed opportunity by captain Rohit Paudel to dismiss O’Dowd in the 18th over.
The Netherlands’ bowling attack had earlier restricted Nepal to 106 all out, with Logan van Beek and Tim Pringle each taking three wickets. Paul van Meekeren and de Leede claimed two wickets apiece.
“Our bowlers were awesome up top,” Netherlands captain Scott Edwards said afterwards.
“All five of our bowlers were brilliant. Ideally we would have got the runs a little quicker, but it was great the way Max batted, and Bassie finished it off well.
“We’ve got to play consistent cricket right way through this tournament.”
After losing the toss and being put in to bat, Nepal struggled in the damp, overcast conditions, finding themselves at 15-2 after 3.1 overs. Anil Sah was caught by van Beek off Pringle for 11 runs, with Nepal reaching 40-3.
“The conditions while batting were really challenging,” Nepal captain Paudel said. “Netherlands bowled really well.”
Rohit Paudel provided some resistance with a quick 35 off 37 balls, but his partners in the middle order fell rapidly. Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sompal Kami were dismissed in quick succession, leaving Nepal at 66-6 after 13.2 overs.
Once Paudel was dismissed by Pringle, the last three wickets fell swiftly.
