CHENNAI: The Netherlands will look to combine batting explosiveness with bowling discipline when they face a dangerous United States of America side in a crucial Group A T20 World Cup match here on Friday, with their Super Eights hopes hanging in the balance.
Having suffered a narrow defeat to Pakistan in their tournament opener, the Dutch bounced back in commanding fashion against Namibia in their previous outing.
Chasing 157, they sealed a seven wicket win with two overs to spare to remain firmly in contention for a place in the next stage.
All-rounder Bas de Leede has been central to the Netherlands’ campaign so far. He anchored the chase against Namibia with an unbeaten 72 at a strike rate of 150 and also picked up two key wickets in the middle overs, including that of skipper Gerhard Erasmus.
While the Dutch have explosive options at the top of the order, concerns persist over their middle and lower-order batting.
That vulnerability was exposed against Pakistan, when they slipped from a comfortable 123/4 after 15 overs to 147 all out in 19.5 overs, losing their last six wickets for just 24 runs.
Opener Max O’Dowd, known for his high backlift and power hitting, has endured quiet starts so far, scoring 5 against Pakistan and 7 against Namibia, and will be keen to rediscover his form.
Playing their seventh T20 World Cup, the Netherlands have evolved into a formidable unit and will rely on their bowling depth, particularly at the death, to challenge an American side still searching for its first win in the tournament.
The USA, meanwhile, have shown promise with the ball but have faltered with the bat, with sloppy fielding also costing them momentum.
Against India, they reduced the fancied opponents to 77/6 before letting the game slip after skipper Suryakumar Yadav was dropped on 17 by Shubham Ranjane. Yadav went on to score an unbeaten 84, lifting India to 161/9, before the USA were restricted to 132/8.
Shadley van Schalkwyk has been impressive in the powerplay, while tall leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin has applied the squeeze effectively in the middle overs alongside left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh.
Bowling has been the USA’s main strength, but they will be hoping for a stronger showing from their top order. Captain Monank Patel has scores of 0 against India and 3 against Pakistan, while wicketkeeper-opener Andries Gous has managed 6 and 13 respectively.
Gous was outstanding during the home T20 World Cup two years ago and also holds the record for the highest individual score in the ILT20, with an unbeaten 120 for eventual champions Desert Vipers. His form will be crucial if the USA are to mount a revival.
The USA will also hope that new-ball bowler Ali Khan has recovered from a niggle, as his absence proved costly in their defeat to Pakistan.
Teams (from):
Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren and Saqib Zulfiqar.
USA: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin and Shubham Ranjane.
The match starts at 7 pm IST.