Chennai, Feb 14 (IANS) The Netherlands captain Scott Edwards conceded his side fell short in both execution and application after suffering a 93-run defeat to the USA in a Group A clash of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Chasing 197 after the USA posted 196/6, the Netherlands were bowled out for 103 in 15.5 overs, never quite recovering from early setbacks with the bat.

Reflecting on whether the USA had posted an above-par total, Edwards said, “It was probably a bit more than we were hoping for. The bowling group has been sensational in the first two games, but today we probably missed our lengths a few too many times. Credit to the United States of America, they put us under pressure. I thought we pulled it back reasonably well at the end, but overall they got away slightly.”

The USA’s batters capitalised on scoring opportunities through the middle and death overs, forcing the Dutch bowlers off their preferred lengths. While the Netherlands managed to contain the late surge to an extent, the target proved daunting under lights.

Assessing the nature of the pitch after the USA’s strong first innings, Edwards felt the surface offered good value for strokeplay.

“It was obviously a pretty good surface. The ball came on nicely. From our point of view, we just never really got going with the bat - we kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which was disappointing,” he stated.

The chase was dented early as the Netherlands lost three wickets inside the powerplay, allowing USA’s bowlers to dictate terms and apply sustained pressure.

“It’s tough, especially when the run rate quickly climbs to 11 or 12 an hour. Then it’s about finding that balance -- trying to bring the rate back under control without losing any more wickets. That’s always the challenge in that situation,” the wicketkeeper-batter said.

With the required rate escalating and wickets falling in clusters, the Dutch innings never gathered the momentum needed for a meaningful recovery. Looking ahead to their next assignment against India, Edwards stressed the need to regroup quickly.

“We travel again tomorrow, we’ll have a debrief, probably take a day off, and then reset and focus on that final game,” he concluded.

--IANS

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