USA Battle Fatigue, Illness Ahead Of Namibia Clash

Chennai: It has been a whirlwind campaign for USA at the ICC T20 World Cup. The tournament began with a spirited performance against India in Mumbai and then they endured a long haul to Colombo to take on Pakistan before flying back to Chennai for their final two Group A fixtures.

After posting a commanding win over the Netherlands at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday night, USA have barely a day to recover before their last league match against Namibia on Sunday afternoon. The demanding travel schedule and tight turnaround have clearly taken a toll on the squad.

“The whole team is struggling,” USA head coach Pubudu Dassanayake said. “You can see my throat is bad. Everybody has been struggling over the last few days. Andries Gous wasn’t fit to play against the Netherlands. He was throwing up and battling a fever. Hopefully, he’ll recover in time for the Namibia clash,” added Dassanayake.

Despite not being fully fit, pacer Muhammad Ali Khan had to take the field in their previous game due to the team’s limited options. In Gous’ absence, Saiteja Mukkamalla, who had missed the Pakistan game, returned to the XI against the Netherlands and delivered a match-winning half-century.

The victory over the Netherlands, USA’s first of the tournament, kept their hopes alive. “Unfortunately, the schedule had us playing the two big nations first before the Associates. Today’s game sends a message about how far we’ve progressed compared to other Associate sides. This is a team that deserves more opportunities against full-member nations,” he said.

Meanwhile, it has been a disappointing campaign for Namibia, who have lost both their matches and are already staring at elimination. After facing USA, they will travel to Colombo for their final fixture against Pakistan.