Windhoek
The Namibian senior cricket team’s two-match series against the visiting Saudi Arabia ended in a stalemate with the two nations manufacturing a win apiece in Windhoek last weekend.
The guests from the Middle East brought their A-game in the opening match on Saturday, with the pair of Mohammad Afzal and Inayat Saeed inflicting the main damage as Afzal scored a good 77 runs (not out), while Saeed added another 66 to take the total tally to 301 runs after 50 overs.
The hosts suddenly found themselves in all sorts of trouble from the beginning of their innings, as both Stephen Baard and Gerry Snyman were dismissed with a run each, while the rest of the team also failed to get out of first gear. Nicolaas Scholtz was the most successful batsman with a paltry tally of 39 runs.
The visitors eventually got their final wicket after 42 overs to claim a 141-run win at the Wanderers cricket grounds.
However, hosts Namibia were in an uncompromising mood going into the decisive final match, taking charge of proceedings en route to an emphatic 7-wicket triumph at the same venue.
Saudi Arabia struggled to put on runs with a relentless bowling onslaught from the hosts, notably as a result of Sarel Burger’s exploits of 4 wickets, as the fired-up Eagles restricted the Saudis to 132 runs after just 38,2 overs.
It was left to the home team’s batting order to do the rest and Wian van Vuuren (46) and Craig Williams (55/not out) obliged as the pair scored almost at will, reaching 136 runs with seven wickets to spare.