Captain Edwards, Nidamanuru help Netherlands secure first points
Shayan Jahangir stood tall amidst top order ruins but couldn't prevent USA's third straight loss
Shayan Jahangir stood tall amidst top order ruins but couldn't prevent USA's third straight loss
Scorer: K Vairavan | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar
4:37pm Right. That will be that from us for this game. Hope you enjoyed the coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Peter, Vairavan and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye and take care!
Here is Scott Edwards, Netherlands captain, again: I think the way our bowlers came back after the last game was sensational. (On the toss) It is nice (to win it) because there is a bit (of help) early. After the first 10-15 overs, it flattens out. If you get by that period, you can still score quite a few runs. I think a lot of these guys have played games early in the morning. It is about being wary in the first few overs. You just got to find a way and then hopefully put up a big score. (On the conversations that happened during the run-chase) When we are out there, we are having conversations about how to get to the total. For all of us, it is about being busy and keeping things ticking. Aaron Jones, USA captain: (On what they could have done different) I think we could have taken some more wickets early on, that would have put them under more pressure. (On the score and the numbers discussed) I think 250 is a challenging score on this wicket. I think it is a case of being selective. If the ball is in your area, you hit it away or you try to rotate strike. I think losing so many wickets so early - it is basically a carbon copy from the last game. If we had more wickets in hand, we could have scored 250 or more. Disappointed to lose so many wickets at the start. (On Ali) He should be okay. Quite a few of the guys have a bug right now. Our captain has been out for the last two games. Not much you can do about that. (On how he plans to keep the morale high) In cricket, you win some, you lose some. It is just about going back and coming back hard next game.
Here is Scott Edwards, speaking after receiving his Player of the Match award: (On his innings) Happy to get the win. Nice to fight back and get the first win on the board. When you get yourself in, especially in a low chase, someone has to try to be there at the end. I was just trying to be busy, hit the gaps and run hard. A few games under the belt helps, pretty comfortable with what my game is. When I get in, I try to hold the innings. (On separating captaincy, keeping and batting) Sometimes, when we get hit around the park, it gets difficult. When I am batting, I am batting. When I am keeping, I am keeping.
4:20pm That turned into a canter for the Netherlands in the end - just like many thought it would be at the half-way stage. They began the powerplay well but post it, it did look like they would lose their way. They lost three wickets for 20 runs and at that point, it felt that USA were turning the screw.
Once Edwards and Nidamanuru joined hands, though, that hope was extinguished. They ran USA ragged by converting ones into twos and by rotating strike regularly. That then led to boundary balls which both Nidamanuru and skipper Edwards put away. The former could not stay with his captain till the end but Edwards made sure the job was completed without any hiccups.
As for USA, well, they were hamstrung, with their strike bowler Ali Khan only bowling four overs and being off the field due to illness. Jessy, Kenjige and Netravalkar bowled with plenty of heart but looked exhausted by the end.
Their batting display also left plenty to be desired. They were perhaps too cautious and could not make the most of the death overs, hitting only a handful of boundaries. In the end, that proved pivotal as they just did not have enough runs on the board to play with.
Right. Let's do this again. Can the Netherlands get the job done in this over?
Shayan Jahangir stood tall amidst top order ruins but couldn't prevent USA's third straight loss