Chennai, February 12 The Netherlands will aim to combine explosive batting and disciplined bowling to defeat the dangerous United States of America, a crucial match for them to keep their hopes alive in the T20 World Cup Super Eights, during a Group A match here on Friday.
Having narrowly lost their opening match against Pakistan, the Dutch bounced back in style against Namibia in their previous outing.
Chasing 157, they secured a seven-wicket victory with two overs to spare, staying in contention for a place in the next stage.
All-rounder Bas de Leede will be central to their campaign. He anchored the chase against Namibia with an unbeaten 72 at a strike rate of 150, and also claimed two key wickets, including captain Gerhard Erasmus, in the middle overs.
The Dutch have explosive options at the top, but concerns remain about their middle and lower-order.
This weakness was exposed against Pakistan, as they collapsed from a comfortable 123/4 after 15 overs to 147 all out in 19.5 overs, losing the last six wickets for just 24 runs.
Max O'Dowd, known for his high back-lift and power-hitting, has had quiet outings – 5 and 7 against Pakistan and Namibia respectively – and will be eager to regain his form.
Playing their seventh T20 World Cup, the Netherlands have become a formidable team and will rely on their bowling depth, especially in the final overs, to challenge an American side that is still searching for its first win in this event.
The USA have shown promise with the ball, but have struggled with batting and poor fielding have also hampered them.
Against India, they reduced the fancied opponents to 77/6, only to lose the game after captain Suryakumar Yadav was dropped on 17 by Shubham Ranjane.
He went on to score an unbeaten 84, taking India to 161/9 before the USA were restricted to 132/8.
Shadley van Schalkwyk has been brilliant in the powerplay, while tall leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin has been impressive in applying pressure in the middle overs along with left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh.
Bowling has been the USA's strength, but they will certainly welcome some runs from the top order as well.
Captain Monank Patel has scored 0 against India and 3 against Pakistan, while wicketkeeper-opener Andries Gous has managed 6 and 13.
Gous was outstanding during the home World Cup two years ago and also scored the highest individual score in the ILT20 – 120 not out for the eventual champions Desert Vipers, and his form is crucial for their comeback.
The USA will hope that their new-ball bowler Ali Khan has recovered from a minor injury, as his absence cost them dearly against Pakistan.
Teams:
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.
Match starts: 7 pm IST.