Scotland crossed swords with Namibia in a Group 2 game in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Nambia managed to get over the line in the final over. Follow how it unfolded below.
Follow the scores here
Match summary
JJ Smit struck an unbeaten 32 to calm Namibia’s nerves and fetch them a four-wicket victory over Scotland in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday. A total of 109 was never enough at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, but when Namibia lost four wickets for 67 runs, Scotland looked like gaining a foothold in the Group 2 match. But David Wiese (16) and Smit snuffed out such hopes.
Earlier a stunning first over from Ruben Trumpelmann upended Scotland. Three wickets in four balls had the Scots reeling before Michael Leask (44) repaired the damage with two partnerships. But that was not enough.
With scores tied at 109, Namibia lose their sixth wicket. Jan Frylinck is caught, off the bowling of Brad Wheal 109/6 in 18.4 overs
Namibia lose one more wicket at the doorstep of victory. David Wiese is out for 16, falling to Michael Lask. But a win is only eight runs away. 102/5 in 17.4 overs.
A six. A costly one for Scotland. The full toss from Chris Greaves may have shifted the momentum. JJ Smit carts it for a six and Namibia are buzzing again. 17 required from 25 balls.
Yes, here’s the Namibian wobble. Craig Williams steps out to Mark Watt and is stumped down the legside. Williams (23) had held the innings together. Scotland are back in the game. Some smart bowling can throttle Namibia. 67/4 in 12.3 overs.
Now, is there a twist in the tale? Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus is dismissed by Scotland’s batting hero, Michael Leask. 61/3 in 11.2 overs. Still no alarm bells. But one more quick wicket and Namibia will wobble.
Namibia crossed the 50 mark with Craig Williams hammering Mark Watt over the sightscreen. But disaster struck soon. Zane Green was dismissed by Chris Greaves. A needless and careless shot at this juncture. 50/2 in 9.1 overs
Scotland land first blow. Safyaan Sharif gets rid of Michael van Lingen (18), who was starting to look dangerous. And Namibia are 28/1 in 5.3 overs. Scotland need more wickets to make a match of it.
First sign of aggression from Namibia. Michael van Lingen has thrown caution to the winds and lashed two boundaries. That helps Namibia to 26/0 in 5 overs, chasing Scotland’s 109. That’s the way to go. Full of intent.
Namibia are off to a slow start in pursuit of Scotland’s 109. 13/0 in 3 overs, they have cut out the risks and don’t seem too keen to cash in on the powerplay. Looks as if they are more interested in keeping wickets intact. But they have to be more positive and show the will to win.
Innings break summary
Three wickets and two wides in the first over. It was a stunning start to Namibia’s Super 12s campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Left-arm seamer Ruben Trumpelmann authored the fairytale start in the Group 2 game at Abu Dhabi and Scotland never really recovered. They finished with 109/8 in 20 overs.
From 2/3, in the first over, a couple of partnerships helped Scotland reach some amount of respectability. Michael Leask struck a 27-ball 44 and was involved in both the stands – 39 with Matthew Cross (19) and 36 in the company of Chris Greaves (25). Trumpelmann came away with figures of 4-0-17-3.
A target of 110 is well within the sights of Namibia so long as they don’t lose too many wickets in the powerplay. This has been a bizarre match. Let’s see what more is in store.
Scotland finish with 109/8 at the end of 20 overs. Chris Greaves is run out off the last ball for 25. Namibia need 110 to win. Looks easy but it might be tricky if they lose early wickets.
Scotland lose one more as Mark Watt perishes in the bid to raise the scoring. He lofts Namibia’s Frylinck straight to long-off. 99/7 in 18.1 overs. Scotland should reach around 120, but that may not be enough to stop Namibia.
Matthew Leask, who waged a lone battle for Scotland, is dismissed after a 27-ball 44. He single-handedly kept the team afloat after the disastrous start against Namibia. In the company of Chris Greaves, he added 36 runs for the sixth wicket. Scotland: 93/6 in 16.2 overs.
Just when Michael Leask cast off Namibia’s shackles with a four and a six off Michael van Lingen, disaster strikes Scotland. Matthew Cross is bowled by Jan Frylinck for 19. But they had repaired some of the damage with a 39-run fifth-wicket stand. At 57/5 in 11.1 overs, Scotland still have a long way to go, and they don’t have too many wickets in hand.
Matthew Cross and Michael Leask are consolidating after the powerplay. The Scottish pair are able to rotate the strike and even score the occasional boundary. No wickets for Namibia in the last four overs, and the score reads 43/4 in 10 overs.
More trouble for Scotland. Craig Wallace is gone, and the fourth Scottish wicket is down. David Wiese traps him lbw, and Scotland are 18/4 in 5.3 overs. This is not going to end well for Scotland. Namibia are on a roll.
Things are quiet. Scotland are struggling to get the ball out of the square after that eventful first over. Wallace and Cross are trying to rebuild the Scottish innings. 16/3 in 5 overs doesn’t bode well.
The Group 2 game in Abu Dhabi got off to an electric start after Namibia put Scotland to bat. A triple strike in the first over the match. Scottish opener George Munsey fell to the first ball of the match, chopping a delivery from Ruben Trumpelmann on to the stumps. If that was bad, more disaster was to follow for Scotland. Calum MacLeod nudged Trumpelmann to the keeper to give the bowler the second wicket. Trumpelmann struck again, trapping Richie Berrington lbw with the next ball. What a start! Incredible. 2/3 in 1 over.
Scotland and Namibia produced excellent performances in Round One of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. That would count for nothing in the Super 12s, as Scotland found out in the game against Afghanistan. The Abu Dhabi match on Wednesday (today) offers Scotland a chance to bounce back from the painful defeat.
But Kyle Coetzer will be wary of the Namibia challenge. The Scots had lost a warm-up game to Gerhard Erasmus’ team, which defeated Test-playing Ireland to make the main draw. So an intriguing battle looms between the two Associates of the International Council. Who will win? Namibia has the edge. Can the Scots avenge the previous loss? Let’s find out.
