Namibia Beat The Rain And Plucky Uganda, But Nigeria And Rwanda Left Frustrated
Namibia too strong for Uganda as they go top after match day three·
Wiese’s superb spell of four for 17 earns him a Player of the match award
Nigeria Tanzania shares points after morning fixture at Wanderers abandoned
WINDHOEK– Namibia was forced to work a bit harder than they might have envisaged, but the hosts held their composure to defeat a plucky Uganda by six wickets on day three of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Windhoek.
On a day that was hampered by morning rain, the hosts would have been pleased to see the skies relent in the afternoon, as they welcomed Uganda to their stronghold that is the Wanderers Cricket Ground.
Namibia won the toss and chose to bowl, and the experienced David Wiese helped himself to four for 17 in his spell. Mixing up his pace and length, the former Proteas international was too good for the Ugandan middle-order.
There was steady support from Tangeni Lungameni (two for 16) and the reliable Gerhard Erasmus (two for 19), as Uganda struggled to get beyond a run-a-ball. Ronak Patel (19), Riazat Ali Shah (17), and Bilal Hassun (17) all got started, but no one was able to put Namibia under sustained pressure.
The Ugandan effort eventually ended two balls shy of their 20 overs, bowled out for 114. An expectant home crowd then settled in for a swift chase, but a slower surface and accurate Ugandan bowling saw Namibia have to toil a bit more.
Michael van Lingen (23 off 17 balls) and Nikolaas Davin (23 off 22 balls) added a brisk 43 for the opening wickets, but the former and JP Kotze then fell off successive Alpesh Ramjani deliveries.
Davin fell two overs later, as the hosts slipped to 49 for three suddenly. Jan Frylinck (30 from 29 balls) and skipper Gerhard Erasmus (35 not out) then calmed matters with a stand of 53 to see Namibia close to home.
Ramjani’s excellent spell of three for 13, as well as Uganda’s attitude on the field, were factors in making Namibia’s chase a lot more challenging. Uganda will not chalking up a few more runs on the board.
In morning action, only six overs of action were possible between Nigeria and Rwanda before thunderstorms and rain curtailed proceedings, with the match eventually abandoned.
At the time, Nigeria was on 33 for two, with an interesting contest just starting to develop.
In this morning’s fixture, Tanzania won the toss and chose to bowl first against Kenya. Namibia takes on Rwanda in the afternoon at Wanderers.
Watch all the action live through HOME – ICC
Scores in brief:
Nigeria v Rwanda
Rwanda won the toss and elected to bowl
Nigeria 33 for two after 6 overs (D Ajekun 13 not out, M Nadir 1 for 15, Z Bimenyimana one for 16)
Match abandoned
Namibia v Uganda
Namibia won the toss and elected to bowl.
Uganda 114 all out in 19.4 overs (R Patel 19, R Shah 17, B Hassan 17, D Wiese four for 17, T Lungamene two for 16)
Namibia 116 for four in 17 overs (G Erasmus 35 not out, J Frylinck 30, A Ramjani three for 13)
Namibia won by six wickets, with 18 balls to spare
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | Points | NRR |
| Namibia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1,745 |
| Kenya | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0,529 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0,865 |
| Uganda | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0,387 |
| Nigeria | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0,202 |
| Rwanda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -0,850 |
| Tanzania | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2,933 |
