Param Veers Sports Complex, Ground 2 (Bermuda won toss): United States beat Bermuda by seven wickets

Bermuda’s batting at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Americas Qualifier in Rydal, Georgia, is not showing any signs of improvement after the team slumped to 55 all out en route to a third successive defeat.

In a match reduced to 40 overs a side because of a rain delay, Luke Horan led all Bermuda scorers with 21 and Luke Fulton chipped in with 16.

Utkarsh Srivastava, Adnit Jhamb, Adit Kappa, Ansh Rai and Supransh Kumar picked up two wickets each to stifle the Bermuda batting line-up of any free-flowing runs.

While Horan and Sa-Qui Robinson got in on the wickets, Nitish Sudini made 27 for the US to cruise to victory in 6.5 overs.

The result means Bermuda are eliminated from contention for the World Cup as, with two matches left, they cannot overhaul the US, who have won four out of four.

Improving on the 60 all out against Canada must have been on Bermuda captain Zeri Tomlinson’s mind when he won the toss and chose to take first strike.

Tomlinson faced ten balls before he was trapped leg-before for two by Kappa at the end of the first over. His opening partner, Callum MacFarlane, did not last at crease, either, as he departed in the fifth over for three when his outside edge off Kumar’s bowling was taken behind.

Keegan Jones was dropped at slip but failed to cash in on that opportunity as Kappa went through his forward defence when he had made seven to dislodge the legside bail.

Isaiah O’Brien’s disappointing tournament continued when he flailed at his second ball and could only watch in horror as it fell lazily into the gleeful hands of mid-on.

So Bermuda’s big hope as a game changer at this tournament was gone without scoring and it must be on coach Clay Smith’s mind to have him sit the next one out after an aggregate of 24 runs from four matches.

Then Robinson came and went without offering much resistance, bowled for two by a flatter one from Rai that skidded through.

At 21 for five, and with two of their three Cup Match stars back in the pavilion, the scene was set for another uphill battle against North American opponents who appear to provide a much sterner test with the turning ball than the young Bermudians find on the domestic circuit.

Horan, who watched in frustration from the other end as injudicious shot after injudicious shot literally played into the hands of the US wickets, seemed intent on valuing his wicket dearly.

In Fulton, he found someone similarly minded, and the pair put on 20 runs before Horan suffered a rush of blood and lofted an easy catch to mid-off.

The dismissal sparked a late collapse which saw Bermuda lose their last four wickets for 14.

The US were without Amrander Gill, a century-maker against Bermuda on Sunday, but they were never going to struggle chasing such a meagre total.

For a minute, Horan and Robinson kept them honest, the former striking in his first over when he had Sahil Garg caught by Fulton for 11.

Xavien James then claimed a well-measured catch inside the mid-wicket boundary to send back Utkarsh Srivastava for a two-ball duck, off Robinson’s off spin — and suddenly the US were 18 for two.

But a quick flurry from Sudini settled any American nerves before Horan claimed a pyrrhic victory by unsettling his stumps when only three runs were needed.

With the match between Canada and Argentina being declared a no result owing to the return of bad weather, the US need only to beat the weaker of the two whipping boys in the tournament to clinch World Cup qualification for a second time in succession.

The Canadians will rue having won the toss and batted with all that weather in the air, as amassing 360 for nine against a side who were dismissed for 23 and 19 in their two previous matches resulted ultimately in only a solitary point.

Argentina were 16 for one in 1.5 overs when the umpires took them off the pitch, never to return.