Kingma to Aasif Sheikh, no run, fuller length delivery outside off, driven straight to the fielder at cover

Kingma to Bhurtel, 1 run, to mid-wicket

Kingma to Bhurtel, no run, fuller length delivery and nipping away from wide of off, Bhurtel went chasing after that and he's beaten on the outside edge

Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh are at the crease. Bhurtel is on strike. Kingma will open the attack

The players are out in the middle and we're ready to start Match 7

It's time for the national anthems and the players walk out to the middle. An excellent crowd and a big chunk of them are supporters who've settled down or travelled from Nepal.

We've made no changes to our pre-toss expert XI. Have a look before you make your fantasy picks.

We had 400 runs scored in the USA-CAN game, but the conditions are different here with a heavy wind blowing across the ground. 61m and 70m square boundaries, 73 straight hit. This is pitch number 6, the pitch looks like a carpet with a good grass covering. You'll have to bowl Test match length with the overcast conditions, but it's still looks a good batting track. Green tinge and the pitch looks abrasive, reckon Katey Martin and Rameez Raja, in their pitch report

Teams:

Nepal (Playing XI): Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel(c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal

Netherlands (Playing XI): Michael Levitt, Max ODowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards(w/c), Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma

Rohit Paudel - It is a big occasion for us, we're here after 10 years, it was always a dream to play in a World Cup. Feel happy, playing for Nepal is a pleasure and I have enjoyed it. We're looking to win this game and then take it one at a time. Toss doesn't matter if you play good cricket. 

Scott Edwards - We are going to bowl first. Bit of conditions around,. could be a bit early for the pacers. Our first goal is to get to0 the next round, we'll need to play some good cricket. We come from a small country, we play a lot against each other in intrasquad games. He's a super talent, has played well recently and made some big runs (on Michael Levitt).

Netherlands have won the toss and have opted to field

Some cap presentations happening in the Nepal camp, I saw as many as 3 players getting their maiden caps

10:08 Local Time, 15:08 GMT, 20:38 IST: We'll have toss at 10:30 am, play to start at 11 am

10:02 Local Time, 15:02 GMT, 20:32 IST: There has been plenty of rain around in Dallas, but it's cleared now. The pitch is still under covers, but we should have the toss on time. The floodlights have been switched on though - pretty dark and damp at the moment, the ground staff are doing their job and we're told that this is a fast draining ground

09:35 Local Time, 14:35 GMT, 20:05 IST: Netherlands and Nepal begin their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign with different perspectives - Netherlands had a very good tournament back in 2022, ousting South Africa and also ensuring that they had a direct qualification to this year's tournament. For Nepal, it's all about enjoying the moment, this is their first World Cup appearance since 2014 and they'll be under illusions or pressure. Nepal qualified for the tournament by reaching the finals of the Asia qualifiers. They do have some quality and none better than Deependra Airee, who became the poster boy of Nepalese cricket after his six sixes in an over against Qatar. But they'll be without star leg-spinner, Sandeep Lamichanne - he was acquitted of all charges, but wasn't provided with the American visa, rendering him unavailable for the tournament. On the other hand, Netherlands will go into the match as favourites, a tag which puts them under some sort of pressure right away. They'll also consider this game as a must win considering that they've got to face South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well.

Preview[/b] by Bertus de Jong

A first turn on the global stage in ten years, Nepal's qualification for this T20 World Cup sparked wild celebrations throughout the country when they bested old foes UAE at Mulpani in the decisive semi-final of the Asia Regional finals last year. A pinnacle ICC tournament will be a new experience for all but pace spearhead Sompal Kami, the only remaining member of the squad that turned heads at the 2014 edition. For all the novelty however, it's a reassuringly familiar opponent that Nepal will be facing first up at Dallas. The young Nepal squad and their legions of fans know the Netherlands well, the two countries regularly exchanging tours in both formats, the Dutch visiting Kathmandu most recently in February this year.

The Netherlands conversely have been World Cup regulars of late, their showing at the 2022 T20 tournament earning them direct qualification here, while their run to the 10-team fifty over World Cup last year has further raised expectations. Yet as Associate standard-bearers the Dutch know better than anyone not to take their peers lightly, certainly not Nepal in front of what might as well be a home crowd for the Rhinos at Dallas.

The crowds are unlikely to phase the Dutch either of course, as coach Ryan Cook noted, "We've played in front of the Nepali crowd before. They are extremely respectful and they support cricket as much as they support their own team. I think that's just such a good thing for the game. We're looking forward to embracing the crowd that comes tomorrow." Nonetheless the pressure will be on for the men in Orange, whose potential run to the Super 8s (now necessary to avoid relegation to regional qualifying next cycle) could be derailed before it gets rolling.

Neither team have looked at their best in the lead-in to the tournament. Nepal's worrisome batting woes were on display again in their sole warm-up against Canada, and while the Dutch did get the better of a ramshackle Sri Lanka in Florida, their last competitive outing saw them finish third behind Ireland and Scotland in a home tri-series.

Yet with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh both looking eminently beatable, the two Group D Associates may just sense an opportunity at this World Cup to take home a big scalp, and perhaps even push on for higher honours. For one of the teams the latter prospect will inevitably be dealt a substantial blow in this coming match, but for the victors a flicker of hope may just kindle a fire.

When: Netherlands vs Nepal, June 4, 3.30 PM GMT, 10.30 AM Local, 9:00 PM IST

Where: Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, Texas

What to expect: Grand Prairie has looked the best batting deck in the tournament so far, looking a tougher track for bowlers when the USA played Canada last week than the 167 MLC first innings average would suggest. The ground has seen some heavy weather again since then, but recovered well after the washed-out warm ups. Expect some early help for seamers but for set bats to cash in later on.

Head to Head in T20Is: 6-5

Team Watch: Netherlands

A spate of injuries and unavailabilities saw the Dutch deprived of the services of Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann and too many seamers to list for the tournament, but there's no reported fitness concerns among the touring party.

Tactics & Matchups: Though not always a sure pick, Vivian Kingma's early swing against two out-of-form openers is a prospect Nepal will not relish, nor will they have fond memories of facing Aryan Dutt. On what's looked a batting friendly surface the Dutch may just go a batter light to accommodate both specialist seamers, trusting in van Beek and Pringle down the order for hitting.

Probable XI: Michael Levitt, Max O'Dowd, Vikram Singh, Base de Leede, SA Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards, Tim Pringle, Logan van Beek, Aryan Dutt, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma

Team Watch: Nepal

Despite some concerns regarding totemic vice-captain DS Airee, everyone fit and ready to play was the word from the Nepal camp on the eve of the game. Though form is a different question of course. After a high-flying 2023 Nepal have looked off the boil over the last couple of months, with batting (skipper excepted) a particular worry.

Tactics & Matchups: Given a shortage of left handers in the Netherlands line-up and the relative success of Kushal Malla with the ball in the two teams' most recent series, Nepal may be tempted to play Malla in combination with one or both of his fellow left arm spinners Lalit Rajbanshi or Sagar Dhakal in their tournament opener.

Probable XI: Aasif Sheikh, Kushal Bhurtel, Anil Sah, Rohit Paudel (c), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Malla, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sagar Dhakal, Lalit Rajbanshi

Did you know?

The Netherlands hosted Nepal both for their first T20I tour after earning T20I status in 2015 and for their first ODI tour after gaining ODI status three years later. Nepal have played more T20Is against the Netherlands than any other opponent, while for the Dutch the only more familiar opposition are European neighbours Ireland and Scotland.

What they said:

"In a tournament, the first game is very important. It's all about momentum. So, I think If you win the first game, you can believe in the dugout. If you believe in the dugout, you can work hard in the next tournament. So, the first game is 100% very important for us. Especially in 2014, as a kid, watching the game, it was my dream, it was everyone's dream. Tomorrow, we are going to fulfill that dream. If we play in the moment, we can present our best skills and make Nepal proud. We can motivate the next generation." - Nepal Captain Rohit Paudel

"I think all the games in this tournament are big games. You're seeing already in the tournament how many teams are sort of competing with each other and beating each other. So, every game is a big game and you've got to just treat every game as it comes. Obviously, this game, we know the Nepal team quite well because we've played against them recently. But we've also played against South Africa, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka very recently as well as you mentioned in the 50-over World Cup and in the qualifiers. So really looking forward to our group and I'm sure there'll be a lot of jostling within the group" - Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook

Squads: