Maqonda Ndlovu
Namibia’s 58-run victory over Tanzania at Wanderers Sports Club on Tuesday effectively sealed their qualification for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, as it guarantees them a top-two finish in African qualifying with a game to spare.
Tanzania won the toss and elected to field first.
Namibia scored 156 runs for the loss of six wickets (156/6) in their 20 overs.
Openers Michael van Lingen and Nikolaas Davin had a solid start, scoring 30 and 25 runs, respectively, while captain Gerhard Erasmus scored 21 runs, and vice captain JJ Smit contributed 40 not out, setting up a competitive target of 157 runs in 20 overs for the East Africans.
However, Namibia’s bowlers, led by Erasmus, tore through the Tanzanian batting lineup, with the captain claiming two wickets for 17 runs in four overs, while Bernard Scholtz took one wicket for the same number of runs. David Wiese took one run and conceded 21 runs in four overs.
Smit earned the man of the match title for his unbeaten 45 runs from 25 balls while impressively conceding only 19 runs from three overs with his bowling.
With their fifth consecutive victory, Namibia sits at the top of the group with 10 points from five matches, following
victories over Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania in Windhoek.
Meanwhile, Cricket Namibia president Rudie van Vuuren was full of praise for the team, saying they had played quality cricket throughout the tournament.
“We’re very proud of the boys, of Pierre de Bruyn and his coaching team, and also of Gerhard Erasmus, the captain of the team,” van Vuuren, president of Cricket Namibia, told BBC Sport Africa.
“The boys played professional cricket throughout; it was really a high standard of cricket, and you can see that the fact that we have a professional set-up eventually
makes the difference in this kind of tournament.”
The side reached the Super 12 stage as first-time qualifiers in the UAE in 2021, but it suffered a first-round group-stage exit in Australia last year.
Next year’s 20-team tournament in the United States and the West Indies will be Namibia’s third consecutive appearance at the T20 World Cup.
Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe remain in contention to secure the second spot in the table and join Namibia at the T20 World Cup next year. Namibia will finish their group campaign against Nigeria on Thursday.