Namibia got their first points in the Super 12s of the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup with a historic win over Scotland that showed how the African side can move expertly through the gears.
Both sides took the knee which will have South African management wondering how their neighbours achieved such a unified position in their camp.
Ruben Trumpelman set the tone after his captain opted to bowl having won the toss. Three wickets for two runs followed in a pacy over with brilliant skill. Scotland only achieved these runs when Trumpelman erred in line and was penalised.
Immediately it was obvious the southern African side were ready. Every stop and dive allowed them ample opportunity to maintain intensity from the start.
With the help of cameos from Cross, Leask and Greaves, the batting side eventually managed to claw their way back, but Namibian bowlers continued to keep pressure.
After the halfway mark, Namibia’s batters started confidently fully knowing what was required with Scotland only getting 109 for 8.
The first breakthrough came in the sixth over with 28 on the board. Scotland’s cricketers then continued to chip away with key wickets at key moments.
Scottish spinner Mark Watt put together another very impressive performance with one wicket for 22 runs. However Michael Leask took two crucial ones, including that of star finisher David Wiese with sliding off spinners.
The bowling side continued to apply pressure, forcing the Eagles to inch their way to the finish line for the loss of six wickets.
Scotland will go away desperately hoping to finally get on the table in Group 2. Namibia meanwhile will look at what damage they can do with their remaining fixtures against higher ranked sides.
They may only have five pitches and a population of 2.5 million, but the southern African nation continue to turn heads with exceptionally well executed plans. Wins against the Netherlands and Ireland showed what was possible, but this victory against Scotland showed how high the ceiling may end up being for this very quickly developing side.
Namibia’s next Super 12s fixture is against Afghanistan on Sunday at 11am on Sky Sports Cricket.