Rampant Namibia Continue Surge Towards T20 World Cup Qualifying Spot

Namibia makes it three wins from three with 68 run victory over Rwanda

 Niko Davin ruthless again with the bat smashing 80 of 59 deliveries

 Veteran Obuya top scorer with 54 ball 81 as Kenya remain unbeaten

WINDHOEK, Namibia– Hosts Namibia have ruthlessly made their way to the brink of qualification for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies next year, as they secured a third successive victory in the Africa Qualifier in Windhoek on Saturday.

The hosts have shown few weaknesses this week, and their powerful top-order was at it again as they defeated Rwanda by 68 runs (DLS method) at the Wanderers Cricket Ground.

Nikolaas Davin has been in excellent touch all week, and he helped himself to another half-century, drilling 80 from just 59 balls, after Rwanda had won the toss and invited the hosts to take first strike.

Davin and the stylish Michael van Lingen (24 from 15 balls) added a brisk 60 in the first seven overs, before Van Lingen and skipper Gerhard Erasmus (16) fell before the halfway mark of the innings.

Jan Frylinck (45 not out from 28 balls) and the powerful JJ Smit (30 not out from 10 balls) then went ballistic, hammering five sixes between them, to lift Namibia to 207 for three in their 20 overs.

The response from Rwanda couldn’t have got off to a worse start, losing two wickets in the first seven balls, and slipping to 3 for three by the end of the second over. Naturally, in a panic, there was a run-out thrown into the mix, as Rwanda wilted under the relentless pressure exerted by Namibia at home.

Mercifully, the now familiar thunderstorms arrived in the late afternoon, and that saw the match halted midway through the futile Rwandan chase. At that point, they sat at 46 for five, with no chance of making an impression on their target of 208.

In morning action on Saturday, Kenya proved too strong for Tanzania, prevailing by 50 runs. Kenya was invited to bat first, and veteran Collins Obuya made Tanzania rue that decision, as he spanked six sixes on his way to a 54-ball 81.

He received fine support from Rushab Patel (24), Irfan Karim (27) and Pushkar Sharma, who notched a rapid 32 not out from just 17 balls. Those contributions saw Kenya post 182 for three in their overs, giving Tanzania a very tough target.

Ivan Selemani did his best to build a foundation, as he notched a steady 45 from 44 balls, but he watched four wickets fall at the other end in the process.

The accurate bowling of Gerard Muthui was the thorn in the Tanzanian side, as he helped himself to four scalps in the middle overs. As Tanzania looked to go for boundaries, Muthui held his nerve, bowling wicket to wicket. Three of his scalps were caught behind by the tidy Irfan Karim, while Salum Ally was trapped on the crease.

The regular wickets meant Tanzania never built any momentum and were eventually dismissed on the very last ball of the match, all out for 132.

Uganda won the toss and chose to bowl first against Zimbabwe this morning at United. Tanzania face Nigeria in the afternoon fixture.

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Scores in brief:

Kenya v Tanzania

Tanzania won the toss and elected to bowl.

Kenya 182 for three in 20 overs (C Obuya 81, P Sharma 32 not out, I Karim 27, S Thakor two for 21)

Tanzania 132 all out in 20 overs (I Selemani 45, A Anil 17, G Muthi four for 31, V Patel two for 16)

Kenya won by 50 runs

Namibia v Rwanda

Rwanda won the toss and elected to bowl.

Namibia 207 for three in 20 overs (N Davin 80, J Frylinck 45 not out, JJ Smit 30 not out)

Rwanda 46 for five in 10 overs (C Rubagumya 15 not out, G Erasmus one for 2, J Frylinck one for 4)

Namibia won by 68 runs (DLS method)

Points Table

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Tied	No Result	Points	NRR
Namibia	3	3	0	0	0	6	2,896
Kenya	3	3	0	0	0	6	1,188
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	3	0	2	0	1	1	-2,833
Tanzania	3	0	3	0	0	0	-2,920