The Netherlands maintained their perfect record at senior level against USA as opener Michael Levitt and captain Scott Edwards both made fifties in a total of 217 for 5 before USA was bowled out for 115 in reply. 

File photo: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Netherlands captain Scott Edwards went through his sweeping and reverse sweeping bag of tricks to frustrate USA’s bowling unit during a match-winning half-century to set up a 102-run Netherlands win on Sunday at Kampong in Utrecht. Edwards top-scored with 81 not out off 40 balls in Netherlands total of 217 for 5 before USA was bowled out for 115 in just 15.4 overs in reply. Edwards had four fours and four sixes in his knock, but just as importantly the Dutch captain only had four dot balls as he dissected USA’s bowling attack in ruthlessly efficient fashion. 
 
USA played the same XI from a day earlier against Canada in a match which finished with no result. The host side raced to 76 in five overs behind Michael Levitt and Max O’Dowd’s opening stand with the former clearing his front leg and repeatedly heaving over the on-side field to rack up six fours and five sixes. USA briefly slowed down momentum in the final over of the Powerplay when Shadley van Schalkwyk claimed O’Dowd and then Vikramjit Singh while conceding just one run. O’Dowd fell for 28 top edging a pull to deep third where Juanoy Drysdale took a waist height catch just inside the rope. Vikramjit then fell for a four-ball duck to end the over when he pulled a change of pace delivery from van Schalkwyk to Jessy Singh at short midwicket to make it 77 for 2. 
 
Edwards arrived to start the seventh over and teamed with Levitt for a brisk 55-run partnership across 5.2 overs. Levitt brought up a 25-ball half-century along the way with a straight six over long-on off legspinner Yasir Mohammad in the eighth over. The stand finally ended with Levitt tried another slog down the ground but skied it off the toe of the bat to van Schalkwyk at long-on to give Harmeet Singh a wicket making it 132 for 3. Zach Lion-Cachet made 14 at a run a ball before he was bowled by Drysdale at the end of the 15^th trying to flick across the line making it 164 for 4. 
 
Edwards brought up a 25-ball half-century with a single in the following over, then ended the frame by hitting van Schalkwyk for six. A two by Edwards in the 19^th brought up the Dutch 200 before van Schalkwyk stemmed the flow of runs in the 20^th by conceding just eight runs while taking the wicket of Ryan Klein for 11, skying a drive to Nitish Kumar at long-off. 
 
Van Schalkwyk returned USA’s best figures on the day with 3 for 35 in his four overs while Harmeet Singh was extremely impressive to finish with 1 for 19 in four and was the only USA bowler not to concede a boundary. Drysdale ended as USA’s only other wicket-taker with 1 for 44 in four while Mohammad (0 for 31), Jessy (0 for 45) and Kenjige (0 for 41) all went wicketless while conceding at a minimum of 13 per over for the remaining eight overs bowled by USA. 
 
In reply, USA fell to 33 for 3 by the fifth over and from there never had a realistic chance of chasing down the Dutch total. Monank Patel fell for 14 in the second over cramped for room trying to back away attempting a flick over long-on against offspinner Aryan Dutt only to pick out Ryan Klein at long-on. Kyle Klein then struck in the following over trapping Andries Gous high on the back leg to win an lbw decision for 1. Kyle then struck again in the fifth, getting Nitish Kumar to flick a loose shot low to Noah Croes at short midwicket for 6. 
 
USA steadily rebuilt through a 47-run fourth-wicket partnership between Aaron Jones and Shayan Jahangir across 4.2 overs which featured 13 dot balls but eight boundaries as well. The stand ended with Jones cut Vikramjit’s medium pace to Ryan Klein at deep point for 34 to make it 80 for 4.
 
The Jones wicket then proceeded to spark a collapse in which USA’s last seven wickets fell for 35 runs. Van Schalkwyj fell for a golden duck two balls later, miscuing a drive off Paul van Meekeren to O’Dowd on the ring at mid-on. Harmeet Singh then drove Lion-Cachet to Croes at long-off for 7 before van Meekeren struck again in the 14^th as Jessy skied a flick off a top edge to Daniel Doram at deep fine leg for 6 making it 101 for 7. 
 
Vikramjit then claimed two wickets in three balls to end the 15^th over, first getting Mohammad to pull to deep square leg for 5 where Ryan Klein took his third catch of the chase. Jahangir’s stay finally ended for 37 two balls later pulling to Lion-Cachet at deep midwicket. Kenjige became the final wicket to fall four balls into the 16^th when his attempted reverse sweep off Lion-Cachet resulted in him being bowled for 2. 
 
Vikramjit entered the Dutch attack in the ninth over as the fifth bowler used but ended with match-best figures of 3 for 16. Lion-Cachet claimed 2 for 5 in 10 deliveries of offspin while Kyle Klein was once again impressive finishing with 2 for 11 in three overs in the Powerplay. Van Meekeren ended with 2 for 33 in three overs while left-arm spinner Doram was the only wicketless bowler on the day for the home side ending with 0 for 27 in three. 
 
USA has a day off before returning to action on Tuesday afternoon against Canada at Voorburg CC in the Hague. The match start time is scheduled for 2 pm local time in the Netherlands.