Tim Southee and Trent Boult stole the show as they bagged a couple of wickets each to ensure the victory for the Kiwis.
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New Zealand look to be in fine form heading into the final part of the group stage in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as they beat Namibia by a massive 52 runs on Friday. The Namibians made a bright start to the run-chase, constructing a 47-run stand for the first wicket. However, three quick wickets for just eight runs completely derailed the Namibian team. The Kiwis scored 163-4 in 20 overs and restricted Namibia to 111-7. Veteran pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult stole the show as they bagged a couple of wickets each to swing the match completely in their team’s favour.
The vast experience of Southee and Boult reaped their rewards as the two pacers were instrumental on the day in ensuring a comfortable victory for the Kiwis. Southee was exceptional as he bagged two wickets and conceded only 15 runs in four overs. Boult also seemed to be at the top of his game, picking a couple of wickets and conceding just 20 runs in four overs.
The Kiwi spinners did not disappoint either as Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi picked one wicket each and conceded 20 and 22 runs respectively. All-rounder James Neesham was also among the wickets as he bagged one wicket for six runs in one over.
Namibia made a decent start to the run chase as openers Stephan Baard and Michael van Lingen constructed a 47-run stand for the first wicket. Baard scored 21 runs off 22 deliveries and van Lingen made 25 runs off 25 deliveries. However, the three wickets of Baard, van Lingen, and skipper Gerhard Erasmus fell for just eight runs as Namibia quickly found themselves in deep trouble at 55-3. Erasmus only made three runs.
Middle-order batters David Wiese and Zane Green tried to lead a fightback but the skill of Boult and Southee were just too much to handle. Wiese scored 16 runs off 17 deliveries and Green made 23 runs off 27 deliveries. No one else in the Namibian team could get a decent score.
Glenn Phillips and James Neesham made their presence felt with fine performances down the order, to help New Zealand post a total of 163/4 against Namibia in the T20 World Cup 2021 encounter between the two teams. Phillips smashed 39 runs from 21 deliveries in an innings comprising of a boundary and three sixes. Neesham accumulated 35 runs off 23 balls with the knock including a four and two maximums. Skipper Kane Williamson was the other significant performer, scoring 28 runs from 25 deliveries with the knock comprising of two boundaries and a six.
Bernard Scholtz, David Wiese and Gerhard Erasmus made their presence felt with a dismissal apiece. Erasmus opted to field after winning the toss, considering the fact that it is tough to defend in matches played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. However, it did not work out as well as the Namibian skipper might have predicted.
