Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus was over the moon, as he led the side from the front with a well-crafted unbeaten fifty with his father in attendance in the crowd, to an 8-wicket win over Ireland in their last group match of Round 1 of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday (October 22).
Erasmus produced one of the finest moments in Namibia's cricketing history, as the right-hander’s fighting half-century and a stunning cameo from all-rounder David Wiese powered the team to an 8 wicket win over Ireland, as well as stormed into the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
Wiese (28*) and Erasmus (53*) added 53 runs off just 31 balls to help Namibia chase down Ireland's 125/8 with 9 balls to spare after Jan Frylinck (3/21) and David’s (2/22) heroics in Sharjah.
With the massive win over Ireland, Namibia booked a spot in the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, joining Sri Lanka as the second team from Group A to progress to the next stage of the tournament. Namibia is now placed in Group 2 of the T20 World Cup alongside India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Scotland. They will next take on Scotland on October 27 in the tournament.
Erasmus said in the post-match presentation: “We run a tight ship. Small country, small number of people play cricket. We should be proud of ourselves. Hasn't sunk in yet, maybe on the way home.”
The all-rounder was happy that he and Wiese being senior players could secure a historic win for Namibia. Wiese was adjudged Player of the Match for his all-round efforts (28* runs, 2 wickets).
The skipper further added, “I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on. And two of us did it tonight. Hopefully, we can do it through the tournament.”
Meanwhile, Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie said his team was hurt by the heartbreaking defeat against Namibia and it will be hard to forget while lauding Erasmus and Wiese’s efforts in Sharjah.
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Balbirnie said after the match, “Hurts a lot. Really wanted to win. It wasn't to be (for us). We didn't get enough runs. It will be hard to get over it, and it hurts a lot.”
He concluded, “I think Wiese played a brilliant hand when the rate was at 8, and their skipper saw them home. There are a lot of good cricketers there in Namibia.”
Brief Scores: Ireland 125/8 in 20 overs (Paul Stirling 38; Jan Frylinck 3/21) lost to Namibia 126/2 in 18.3 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 53*, David Wiese 28*; Curtis Campher 2/14) by eight wickets
(With PTI Inputs)
