In a riveting contest at Kensington Oval, Barbados, Scotland triumphed over Namibia by five wickets with nine balls to spare on Thursday. Namibia, having chosen to bat first, failed to defend their total of 155. This victory marks Scotland’s inaugural win in T20Is, having split points with England in a rain-marred match on June 4.
Namibia’s innings commenced disastrously, with JP Kotze dismissed for a three-ball duck in the opening over. Niko Davin briefly sparked hope with a brisk 20 off 12 balls, but soon fell. The Scottish bowlers meticulously curtailed the scoring rate, leaving Namibia teetering at 55 for 4 by the 8th over.
With a tenacious 52 and Zane Green’s 28 in support, Gerhard Erasmus led Namibia’s resurgence. Nonetheless, Scotland’s bowlers regained control in the final overs and restricted Namibia to 155 for 9. Brad Wheal emerged as the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 33, while Bradley Currie finished with 2 for 16.
Chasing 155, Scotland began on a solid footing, reaching 43 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. However, Namibia’s bowlers clawed back and reduced Scotland to 73 for 4 in 11 overs. Richie Berrington (47*) and Michael Leask (35) adeptly navigated the situation, keeping the scoreboard moving and accelerating in the death overs to clinch a comfortable victory.
Erasmus also impressed with the ball for Namibia, taking 2 for 29. Bernard Scholtz was economical, giving away just 20 runs for a wicket. Ruben Trumpelmann and Tangeni Lungameni secured a wicket each but were somewhat expensive. Scotland is now at the top of the TABLE in Group B.
Key Moments of the Match:
Early Breakthroughs by Scotland Bowlers
Scotland’s bowlers capitalized on the conditions effectively, dismissing Namibia’s top three batsmen within the powerplay. Brad Wheal initiated the breakthrough by removing JP Kotze for a duck. Bradley Currie and Christopher Sole also took a wicket each, leaving Namibia reeling at 37 for 3 in 5.4 overs.
Gerhard Erasmus’ Rescue Mission
Amid Namibia’s turmoil, Erasmus stepped up to stabilize the innings. Despite losing Malan Kruger (2) in the 8th over, Erasmus and Zane Green reconstructed the innings. Erasmus’s composed knock of 52 off 31 balls aided his side in recovering from early setbacks. 
Late Collapse in Namibia’s Innings
Namibia appeared poised for a substantial total but lost a slew of wickets in the death overs. They could only accumulate 20 runs in the final three overs, making it easier for the Scotts to chase it down.
Zane Green’s Smart Stumping
At 67 for 3 in 9.2 overs, Zane Green showcased sharp acumen behind the stumps to dismiss Brandon McMullen. Green initially fumbled but swiftly gathered the ball and dislodged the bails, catching McMullen marginally off guard. The TV umpire confirmed the dismissal after reviewing multiple angles.
Crucial Over from Wiese
With 40 runs required off the last four overs, Michael Leask and Richie Berrington decimated Wiese’s bowling in the 17th over, amassing 19 runs with two sixes and a four. This costly over decisively swung the match in Scotland’s favor.
Namibia had a golden opportunity to win two matches on the trot and get one step closer to the Super Eight fixture. However, they failed to perform at the crucial juncture of the game and had to bear the brunt of it. The African side will cross swords with mighty Australia at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, on June 11 (Local Time).
Scotland will take on Oman at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua, on June 9. The Parimatch odds for Scotland in this fixture are 1.35x.
