Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS) A fluent 79 by Saiteja Mukkamalla and Shubham Ranjane’s 48 not out powered the United States to a formidable 196/6 in 20 overs against the Netherlands in their Group A clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.

Asked to bat, USA made a brisk start with Shayan Jahangir taking on Aryan Dutt in the opening over, smashing a 75-metre six to set the tone. Jahangir continued his aggressive approach, pulling Logan van Beek for another maximum, as the USA raced to 23 without loss in two overs.

However, Kyle Klein provided the first breakthrough by bowling Jahangir for a 14-ball 20 as the batter missed a fuller delivery that crashed into the stumps. The USA reached 53/1 at the end of the Power-play, their joint-highest Power-play total in T20 World Cup history, with captain Monank Patel and Mukkamalla keeping the scoreboard ticking.

Monank looked in good touch, striking elegant boundaries including a straight drive and a well-placed pull, while Mukkamalla blended caution with calculated aggression. The duo stitched together a 55-run stand for the second wicket before Bas de Leede deceived Monank with a slower knuckle ball, leading to a simple catch behind. Monank departed for 36 off 22 balls.

Mukkamalla then took charge, reaching his half-century in style with a superb six over deep extra cover off Klein. He showcased a wide range of strokes, lofted inside-out drives, powerful pulls, and clean hits down the ground, as he accelerated through the middle overs. He found support from Ranjane, who provided impetus with inventive strokeplay, including a paddle-scoop and a towering 89-metre six over long-off.

The USA innings gathered momentum in the final five overs. Mukkamalla’s 51-ball 79, studded with five fours and four sixes, ended when he miscued a pull off de Leede to deep backward square leg. De Leede was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3/37 from his four overs.

Ranjane carried the charge at the death, hammering 48 off 24 balls, narrowly missing out on a half-century. Though wickets fell at regular intervals in the closing stages, including Milind Kumar and Harmeet Singh, the USA managed 48 runs in the last four overs to post 196/6.

For the Netherlands, de Leede claimed three wickets, while Klein and van Beek chipped in with one apiece, but their bowlers struggled to contain the USA’s aggressive batting on a good Chepauk surface.

Brief scores:

USA 196/6 in 20 overs (Saiteja Mukkamalla 79, Shubham Ranjane 48*; Bas de Leede 3-37, Logan van Beek 1-28) against Netherlands

–IANS

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