Netherlands vs Nepal - the one match neither team can afford to lose

Match details

Netherlands vs Nepal

Dallas, 10.30am local

Big picture - Netherlands favourites, but only just!

There are two obvious groups of death in this T20 World Cup, and Group D is one of them. Netherlands and Nepal are the two lowest-ranked sides in the group, but one of them comes into the tournament with serious pedigree in punching well above their weight at World Cups.

Remember this? And this? And this? And more recently, over the last two years, this, and this?

Before they can try and pull off results of that nature against South Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, however, Netherlands will have to get past the one team they are favourites against. And it won't be easy.

Netherlands may have been here and done it before, while Nepal have only featured in one previous T20 World Cup, but the results they achieved in that tournament - in 2014, when they beat Afghanistan and fell short of a Super 10s spot only by virtue of net run-rate - should tell you that this could be a seriously tight contest.