Cape Town — Namibia have left themselves with one remaining chance to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup after a last-over defeat to the Netherlands on Tuesday.
The south-west Africans, who were fresh off a historic victory over Asian Cup champions Sri Lanka last Sunday, managed just 121-6 in their allotted 20 overs. They pushed the Netherlands all the way, though, but the Dutch ultimately managed to cross the line with five wickets and three balls to spare.
“Obviously the high after the Sri Lanka game was amazing but we knew we still had two matches left. And unfortunately for us it didn’t go our way,” said Namibian all-rounder Jan Frylink.
“But we’re very proud of the way that we fought up until the end. And looking ahead to Thursday it’s going to be a very big game for us and we’re going to prep well for that one.”
Frylink held the innings together with 43 off 48 balls, but this meant that the Namibian “Bomb Squad” of middle-order big-hitters David Wiese and JJ Smit collectively only faced nine balls that hampered any late-innings momentum.
“The way we assessed it was that for the new guys coming in it was a lot more difficult to score on that wicket. And I guess that’s why we sort of tried to bat as long as possible, give ourselves about 18 balls or so in the death left and then try and start hitting some boundaries,” Frylink added.
Namibia will now face the UAE in a must-win game on Thursday, while the Netherlands and Sri Lanka face off against each other.
The Netherlands have won both their matches and top the log at the moment, but Sri Lanka bounced back from their shock defeat to Namibia with a crushing 79-run win over the UAE.
The UAE were bundled out for just 73 after restricting the Sri Lankans to 152-8. It could have been much more, but for a sensational hat-trick by the UAE’s Karthik Meiyappan.
The leg-spinner removed Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka with three brilliant deliveries.
“It still hasn’t sunk in, the fact that I’ve got a hat-trick in a T20 World Cup, and to become the fifth bowler to do so,” Karthik said after the match. “It is really a proud moment and feels amazing. But, like I said, it would have been much greater and much better for me if we had won the game tonight.”
He joined Brett Lee, Curtis Campher, Wanindu Hasaranga and Kagiso Rabada as just the fifth man to take a hat-trick at a T20 World Cup.
IOL Sport