Windhoek: Namibia's senior men's national cricket team, the Eagles, made a flying start to their T20 Tri-Series campaign on Friday, defeating South Africa by 18 runs at the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground in Olympia, Windhoek. The victory marked Namibia's second win over South Africa in a T20 international meeting, following their historic triumph over the Proteas earlier this year at the same venue.According to Namibia Press Agency, the T20 Tri-Series, which runs from 28 August to 06 September 2026, features hosts Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe competing for top honours at the Namibia Cricket Ground. In Friday afternoon's opening fixture, played in front of a packed crowd, South Africa won the toss and sent Namibia in to bat. The Eagles responded with 163 for nine from their allotted 20 overs, with opener Jan Frylinck anchoring the innings with a composed 60 runs off 38 deliveries.Namibia's bowlers then put the Proteas under pressure early in the run chase, with openers Jordan Hermann and Lhuan-dre Preto rius both dismissed during the powerplay. Dewald Brevis attempted to revive South Africa's innings with a determined 75 runs off 50 balls. His knock included five sixes and four fours, but his efforts were ultimately in vain as Namibia's bowlers held their nerve to secure an impressive victory.Namibia's all-rounder JJ Smit, who had earlier made a valuable contribution with the bat, was instrumental with the ball, taking three wickets for 31 runs. Ruben Trumpelmann was equally effective, finishing with three wickets for 24 runs.Speaking to the media after the match, Frylinck said the victory had lifted the mood in the Namibian camp, although he acknowledged that the team still had areas to improve. 'The vibes are high in the team with our win against South Africa, but there are a lot of things that we need to work on,' he said while adding that they played good cricket for 20 overs, and that the last 10 overs in their first innings batting lacked a little bit of skill. Therefore, that is the department tha t they need to work on for the next game.The Tri-Series continues in Windhoek on Saturday, when South Africa take on Zimbabwe. Namibia will return to action on Monday, 31 August, against Zimbabwe, before the teams meet again in the second round of fixtures. Having now beaten South Africa in both of their T20 international encounters, Namibia will take considerable confidence from the result as preparations continue for next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which Namibia will co-host alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe.