After a close game with India in the first group stage match, the USA were completely outplayed by Pakistan in Colombo in their second game. Their third game is against the Netherlands. They need to beat the Netherlands to stay alive in this tournament. A defeat in the third game will end the USA’s campaign in the T20 World Cup.
If we look at the past encounters of these two teams, the USA have not been able to beat the Netherlands in three attempts. In the warm-up game against New Zealand, the USA played really well. However, their side is marred by injuries. Their premier fast bowler, Ali Khan, is nursing a groin injury. Jasdeep Singh has been ruled out for the rest of the T20 World Cup with a shoulder injury. Former Pakistan fast bowler Ehsan Adil replaced him in the side.
Adil was included in the playing XI for the Pakistan game, but he ended up giving 39 runs in three overs. Shubham Ranjane, who hurt his knee, is likely to make a comeback in this game. The USA team does not have a settled opening pair for this campaign. Saiteja Mukkamalla was dropped after just one bad game against India. In the lead-up to the World Cup, he was their most prolific batter. Mukkamalla made a smashing fifty in the warm-up game against New Zealand.
On the other hand, the Netherlands will be high on confidence after beating Namibia in the last game. Bas de Leede’s all-around efforts in Delhi were all the rage. The Netherlands bat deep till 9 and have multiple bowling options as well. The batting depth of their team gave a scare to Pakistan in the opening game of the tournament. They are also familiar with the Chennai ground, as they trained on the Chennai Super Kings’ facilities for a week before the start of the World Cup.
