Namibia on Friday (October 22) qualified for the Super 12 phase of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 after beating Ireland by eight wickets in a first round match in Sharjah.

It was a must-win game for both the teams, in which Ireland won the toss and posted 125/8 on the board. After a 62-run opening stand between Paul Stirling (38) and Kevin O'Brien (25), the Irish batting line-up fell like a pack of cards. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie scored 21 while the remaining batters failed to cross the double-digit mark.

Jan Frylinck (3-21) and David Wiese (2-22) were the stand-out bowlers for Namibia as they bowled economically and picked up five wickets between them.

In the chase, Namibia rode on captain Gerhard Erasmus’ unbeaten 53 off 49 balls and David Wiese’s cameo of 14-ball 28* to overhaul the target with nine balls to spare.

Brief Scores:                                                                                                         

Ireland 125/8 in 20 overs (Paul Stirling 38, Kevin O'Brien 25; Jan Frylinck 3-21, David Wiese 2-22) lost to Namibia 126/2 in 18.3 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 53*, David Wiese 28*; Curtis Camper 2-14) by 8 wickets

In the last game of the qualifying round, Sri Lanka humiliated Netherlands by eight wickets to remain unbeaten in Group A.

Opting to bowl first, the 2014 champions bundled out Netherlands for a mere 44 in just 10 overs – the second-lowest total in T20 World Cup history.

It was a listless performance with the bat from Netherlands. Apart from Colin Ackermann (11), no one managed to cross the double-digit mark.

Lahiru Kumara (3-7), Wanindu Hasaranga (3-9) and Maheesh Theekshana (2-3) ran through the Dutch batting line-up on a sluggish track.

In reply, Sri Lanka chased down the total without breaking a sweat in 7.1 overs. Opener Kusal Perera was the top scorer with 33* off 24 balls.

Brief Scores:

Netherlands 44 all-out in 10 overs (Lahiru Kumara 3-7; W Hasaranga 3-9; M Theekshana 2-3) lost to Sri Lanka in 45/2 in 7.1 overs (Kusal Perera 33*) by 8 wickets