Windhoek: Namibia's hopes of reaching the final of the FNB T20 Tri-Series suffered a major setback after Zimbabwe cruised to a five-wicket victory, inspired by a dominant innings from Innocent Kaia.According to Namibia Press Agency, Namibia lost their opening match against Zimbabwe at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Olympia and were hoping to bounce back in the rematch to strengthen their chances of securing a place in Sunday's final before their remaining fixture against South Africa. Instead, the defeat has made their route to the final increasingly difficult. Having won one of their three matches, the hosts must now overcome South Africa in Friday's fixture to keep their hopes alive.Asked to bat first against Zimbabwe, Namibia immediately found themselves under pressure, slumping to 25 runs for three inside the opening five overs. Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, and wicketkeeper-batter Zane Green all departed cheaply, leaving Namibia in early trouble. With his side struggling, captain Gerhard Erasmus onc e again took responsibility for rebuilding the innings.Erasmus found a reliable partner in Alexander Volschenk, with the pair putting together an important 83-run fourth-wicket partnership. Volschenk contributed a composed 29 runs from 31 balls before Zimbabwe eventually broke the stand. Erasmus, however, continued to attack and finished unbeaten on a magnificent 88 from just 48 deliveries. His innings included eight fours and three sixes and lifted Namibia to a competitive looking 156 for six from their 20 overs.Zimbabwe's bowlers prevented Namibia from posting an even bigger total, with Brad Evans and Kundai Matigimu taking two wickets apiece, while Sikandar Raza and Blessing Muzarabani claimed one each. But Namibia's total proved insufficient as Kaia produced a blistering innings to take the game away from the hosts. The Zimbabwe opener struck 72 runs from 48 deliveries as his side chased down Namibia's 156 for six with five wickets in hand to record their second victory of the tournament.Zimbabwe's chase got off to an uncertain start when Ben Curran was dismissed for five, but Kaia quickly shifted the momentum in his side's favour. The right-hander combined with his second-wicket partner for a rapid 61-run stand from just 4.4 overs, putting Zimbabwe firmly in control during the powerplay. Kaia was ruthless thereafter, striking eight fours and three sixes as Zimbabwe maintained a comfortable run rate throughout the chase.Captain Sikandar Raza added a valuable 29 runs to ensure there was no late drama, with Zimbabwe completing the chase with five wickets to spare. Namibia's Ruben Trumpelmann claimed two wickets for 41 runs, but his efforts were not enough to halt Zimbabwe's charge. With Zimbabwe already having secured two victories, Namibia now have little margin for error. The hosts will need a significantly improved performance with both bat and ball against South Africa if they are to keep their final hopes alive and force their way into Sunday's decider.