The Namibia Senior Men’s Cricket team beat Ireland by eight wickets to qualify for the Super 12 at the ongoing Twenty-20 (T20) World Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday afternoon.

Ireland won the toss and decided to bat first but were restricted by a brilliant Namibian bowling line-up to 125 for four (125/4) in 20 overs while the Eagles scored 126/2 in 18.3 overs.

Namibia’s run chase began timidly with the opening three bowlers registering a 27/1 in the Power Play overs (first six overs) and needed 49 off 36 balls at one point.

However, the man of the match David Wiese then smashed back-to-back sixes off Craig Young in the 15th over to bring the asking rate down.

This was after Zane Green and captain Gerhard Erasmus had put up a competitive second-wicket stand to help Namibia recover.

Green was dismissed for 24 runs from 32 balls with Wiese knocking in an impressive 28 not out runs off 14 balls to lead the Eagles to their second and historic victory of the tournament.

Wiese said captain Erasmus was supposed to be the man of the match as he had played brilliantly.

“This is really his moment and the rest of the team has put in so much work before now to be here. I’ve played in Sharjah a few times and know the wicket deteriorates to suit my bowling a bit more,” he added.

Meanwhile, Erasmus said Namibia is a small country with a small number of people who play cricket.

“We should be proud of ourselves. I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on. And two of us did it tonight. Hopefully, we can do it through the tournament. It has not sunk in yet, maybe on the way home,” he added.

The win sees Namibia qualify for the next round of the tournament where they will face India.

The Eagles finished the group in second place behind Sri Lanka and are also guaranteed a spot in next year’s T20 World Cup.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency