After Namibia beat Ireland by eight wickets on Friday, skipper Gerhard Erasmus said his colleagues should be happy of what they’ve accomplished so far in the tournament. In the Super 12 round, Namibia will be in Group 2 with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Scotland.
Namibia is competing in its first-ever T20 World Cup and has qualified for the Super 12s as the second Associate team after Scotland. Scotland overcame Oman on Thursday to win Group B, which also includes Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, England, the West Indies, and Sri Lanka. On November 5th, India will meet Scotland, and on October 8th, it will face Namibia.
Ireland chose to bat first after winning the toss, and openers Paul Stirling (38) and Kevin O’Brien (25) got off to a good start, putting up a 62-run partnership for the first wicket. Andrew Balbirnie, who came out to bat after Stirling was dismissed, could only manage a 28-ball 21. The Namibia spinners kept the opposition batsmen from gaining runs and scalped wickets at regular intervals, allowing Ireland to be bowled out for 125 runs. David Wiese took two wickets for 22 runs in four overs, while Jan Frylinck was the standout of the bowlers with three wickets in the match.
Namibia’s openers failed to quicken the run rate in chase of 126 runs, and Craig Williams (15 off 16 balls) succumbed to Curtis Campher in the sixth over. After Willimas was out, captain Gerhard Erasmus stepped out to bat and put up a 48-run partnership with Zane Green (24 off 32 balls) until the latter was dismissed in the 14th over. Erasmus (53*) and David Wiese (28 not out off 14 balls) combined to help Namibia win their second T20 World Cup, securing their place in the Super 12 stage.
When asked about his team’s performance and Super 12 qualifying, skipper Gerhard Erasmus said that the Namibian players should be happy of what they accomplished at the T20 World Cup. He went on to say that the squad is optimistic about continuing to do well throughout the competition.
“We mentioned in the previous news conference that we are running a tight ship, and I believe we are really proud of ourselves for being such a small cricketing nation. I believe this is a tremendous accomplishment, and I believe we should be proud of ourselves tonight. I rely on my senior players (Wiese) to step up when the stakes are high in a game like this, and two of us did so tonight, and maybe we can do so throughout the tournament. Not yet (has it dawned on you yet? ), perhaps on the way home, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps at the end of the tournament, “After the game, Erasmus remarked.
David Wiese, who was named Man of the Match for his outstanding bat-and-ball performance, praised Erasmus for his composed fifty against Ireland. The 36-year-old went on to say that the triumph was absolutely unexpected, and that the players had worked really hard to reach the Super 12 level.
“It’s utterly debilitating. After the way Erasmus batted, I didn’t believe I’d earn this honour. It was a captain’s innings to remember. I accept it, but I believe it belongs to him. The lads have put a lot of effort into this. There were a few little hiccups, but it was an excellent effort overall “After the game, Wiese remarked
In the Super 12 round, Namibia will be in Group 2 with India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Scotland.
