Skipper Richie Berrington and Michael Leask starred for Scotland as they beat Namibia to pick up their first win of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Scotland, who had already impressed against England before the washout, chased down 156 with nine balls left to spare.
Where was the game won?
At the death. Until then, it was anyone’s game with both teams being at a similar position after the 15th over. While Namibia let it slip at the death losing way too many wickets, Scotland managed to hammer 48 runs in just 3.3 overs to go past the finish line.
Namibia
Powerplay: Top order falls
Phase score – 48/3 [RR: 8, 4s/6s: 7/1]
Namibia definitely got the desired result in the powerplay in terms of the runs. But at what cost? By the end of the fifth over, they had lost their top 3. JP Kotze was out for a three-ball duck in the opening over and Jan Frylinck dragged one onto his stumps. Nikolaas Davin cut loose to fetch a flurry of boundaries but his march was cut short as Scotland took early control.
Middle overs: Damage control for Namibia
Phase score – 65/2 in 9 overs [RR: 7.2, 4s/6s: 4/1]
Losing those three wickets meant Namibia had to play it safe during the middle overs especially after Chris Greaves struck early in his first over to leave the batting side reeling at 55/4. That control did arrive in the form of skipper Gerhard Erasmus who helped Namibia recover. Erasmus pushed the scoring rate up again after a dull spell as he hit boundaries at regular intervals. Unfortunately for the skipper, he got out stumped at a crucial juncture immediately after getting to his fifty with a six, leaving his side vulnerable again.
Death overs: Scotland’s excellent finish
Phase score – 42/4 [RR: 8.4, 4s/6s: 1/3]
Namibia began well at the death. David Wiese smashed one over long on and Zane Green finally showed signs of aggression in Mark Watt’s final over. At 135/5 after 17 overs, Namibia could have and should have aimed for at least 165. However, Scotland came back strong in the final three overs as Brad Wheal got rid of both Wiese and Green in the space of three deliveries to pretty much signal the end and close out the innings in their favour.
Scotland
Powerplay – A tale of two halves
Phase score – 43/1 [RR: 8.6, 4s/6s: 3/1]
The first half of the powerplay was quite in contrast to the second. Scotland were quite watchful to begin with. Ruben Trumpelmann, hero of the last game, didn’t help matters as he aided the batting side with a few wides. Scotland had 19 on the board after 3 overs despite George Munsey’s struggles at one end. Munsey was put out of his misery in the following over but Michael Jones taking 18 runs from that final powerplay over gave Scotland some momentum heading into the middle phase.
Middle overs – Teams trade blows
Phase score – 66/3 [RR: 7.3, 4s/6s: 3/2]
Similar to the powerplay, this was again a phase of two halves. In fact, at the halfway stage, it was Namibia who were the favourites to clinch the contest. Michael Jones edged one behind and Erasmus’ brilliant game continued with the wicket of Brandon McMullen as well. At the halfway mark, Scotland were 69/3, needing a big fillip to change things. The misery continued as 69/3 became 73/4 by the end of the next over before the well-set Berrington finally unleashed himself with a four and a six to release the pressure. Leask hit a six as well to bring the equation down to 47 from the final five overs.
Death overs – Leask’s blows smoothen the passage
Phase score – 48/1 [RR: 13.71, 4s/6s: 1/4]
Wiese, who had conceded just 3 runs from his first two overs, bore the brunt of Leask’s assault as he smashed him for a couple of sixes with a four from Berrington sandwiched between them. That 19-run over effectively put Scotland on top as Leask then cleared the ropes for the fourth time in the evening. Even though he couldn’t finish the job, Berrington sealed the deal with nine balls left.
Brief scores: Namibia 155/9 in 20 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 52; Brad Wheal 3/33) lost to Scotland 157/5 in 18.3 overs (Richie Berrington 47*, Michael Leask 35; Gerhard Erasmus 2/29) by 5 wickets
What next?
A point against England and now two points against Namibia will keep Scotland’s spirits high when they take on Oman on Sunday in Antigua. Namibia on the other hand, will have their task cut out as they face Australia next.
