Ruben Trumpelmann

With his playing days behind him, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3544/Albie-Morkel/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Albie Morkel</a>, one of South Africa&rsquo;s top all-rounders in white-ball cricket, has gone through the natural transition of going into coaching. He perhaps took on an assignment as challenging as they come &ndash; a coaching stint with the Namibian national side. However, he had a friendly face in the set-up leading the way in <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/39146/Pierre-de-bruyn/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pierre de Bruyn</a> &ndash; a former teammate at Northerns.&nbsp;Together, de Bruyn and Morkel have brought the cricketing culture back in Namibian cricket, which was lacking over the years and are now on the verge of playing in their second T20 World Cup in as many years, which has once again revived Namibian cricketing fortunes, marking this as the best phase in their history by some margin.&nbsp;In an exclusive chat with Cricket.com, Morkel opens up about the structure in Namibian cricket, on what their qualification to back-to-back World Cup means to people back home, their scouting system and much more.Cricket.com (CDC): You entered the coaching setup with Namibia right after your announced your retirement from all forms of cricket. What prompted you take up this move and how pleased are you with the progress Namibia have made since then?Albie Morkel (AM): My [playing] career got cut shot by COVID. I had to look for [other] opportunities early. The Namibia opportunity came along at the very same time which was an easy decision to make at that stage as I would still be involved with cricket even though it was a different role and in different capacity but it&rsquo;s something that I wanted to do late in my career. The opportunity came a little earlier. It&rsquo;s been very good. Something I&rsquo;ve really enjoyed getting better at. It was a good move for me. It&rsquo;s now four years down the line and we&rsquo;ve done some pretty amazing things for this team.&nbsp;CDC: Tell me a bit about Namibia&#39;s scouting system. We saw David Wiese play last year and I believe you convinced&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/67897/Ruben-Trumpelmann/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ruben Trumpelmann</a>&nbsp;to switch allegiance and both moves have paid off. How have you gone about with these recruitments and can we see such things in the near future?AM:&nbsp;It&rsquo;s quite difficult to get players from other countries into Namibia. Normally it&rsquo;s a tedious process but with David&rsquo;s [Wiese] parents being born there as well as Ruben&rsquo;s [Trumpelmann], it&rsquo;s a little bit easier. But there is a process you have to follow and it takes about a year for them to get their papers and stuff. They&rsquo;re two big players for us. That&rsquo;s exactly what we needed.&nbsp;Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ruben-trumpelmann-nice-to-have-other-left-arm-pacers-in-the-side-to-bounce-ideas-1665735952209" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ruben Trumpelmann: Playing in a World Cup is always a big motivation</a>We needed another solid all-rounder, especially a right-handed bowler as well, because we&rsquo;ve got about five left-arm bowlers. With Ruben, he was the extra pace we were looking for, which we didn&rsquo;t have at that stage in the set-up. They just fitted in perfectly in the team. They&rsquo;ve made some telling contributions for us.&nbsp;CDC: The main concern for associate nations is perhaps the lack of interest among the locals. With Namibia on the verge of playing their second World Cup in as many years, do you think it has or will inspire more kids to perhaps take up the sport professionally?AM: I think we can see it already. I can just go back to when we started there four years ago, there was nothing going on there in the club systems, the school systems. Cricket wasn&rsquo;t that big, it was almost like a forgotten sport. With the way the boys have played, with the success they&rsquo;ve had, they&rsquo;ve awakened a small little giant in Namibia.&nbsp;Kids are actively playing, you can see the Under-19s coming through and the general support from the public. These guys are being recognised in the streets now and that&rsquo;s a sign that as a sportsman if you can do well and the people acknowledge you means you&rsquo;re doing something right.CDC: You have played with and against Pierre de Bruyn in domestic cricket and now both of you are associated with Namibia in a coaching capacity. How is it working with him on the other side of the fence?AM: He&rsquo;s a good guy to learn from. He&rsquo;s a tough coach, he likes discipline, like structure, which is what was needed in a set-up like this, where things were a little bit all over the place. He was the perfect guy for the job to put those things in place and then get the players at the level they needed to be in all departments &ndash; fielding, batting, bowling, fitness, nutrition &ndash; all those things.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665809681780-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">That&rsquo;s the big thing about his success. He doesn&rsquo;t leave any stone unturned in terms of those things. Even four years later, the pillars are still in place and that&rsquo;s the way he coaches and gets good response from the players.&nbsp;CDC: Also a word on skipper&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/57890/Gerhard-Erasmus/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gerhard Erasmus</a>. He seems to be a calm and composed person while batting, bowling or fielding. How valuable has his contribution been in Namibia&#39;s rise over the last 2-3 years?AM: He&rsquo;s a massive player for us. He&rsquo;s one of those guys even though he&rsquo;s a good player and got talent, he&rsquo;s got a sixth sense about the things on the field. He sees something happen even before it happens and that&rsquo;s sometimes good or bad to have that as a leader. But as long as you can trust your gut and that&rsquo;s what he does on those feelings, it could help you.&nbsp;So, he&rsquo;s massive for us, especially batting in the middle-order, he can play most situations, whether it is to play defensively, or knock the ball around or to knock the ball out of the park. He&rsquo;s the perfect No. 4 for us.&nbsp;Last year when he broke his finger during the World Cup, it was a big blow for us. Luckily, he pulled through the pain barrier to give us one or two good performances. I&rsquo;m very excited to see what he is going to do this year. We&rsquo;ve got a year more experience than last year. If we can get it right this tournament, we are going to play some exciting cricket.CDC:&nbsp;Namibia have plenty of left-arm pacers up their ranks- Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Tangeni Lungameni in the squad. Left-arm pacers are generally considered the X-factors and you seem to have plenty of them. However, do you think the attack becomes a little one-dimensional or do you reckon each of them offers something different?AM: To have one left-arm pacer is a luxury, we&rsquo;ve got four. It does become one-dimensional. We&rsquo;ll be looking to mix it up. Not all of them are the same. Ruben is the only guy who can swing the ball back at pace and the rest have got other skills. We&rsquo;ll look at the conditions, see what&rsquo;s needed on it. If we can play four left-arm seamers, at least we&rsquo;ve got the luxury to do it.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665810082816-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">But we know with<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/45853/David-Wiese/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">&nbsp;David Wiese</a>, Ben Shikongo, Karl Birkenstock, we do have right-handed options and quite a few spinning options. It&rsquo;s a nice mixed bag and depending on the conditions we will apply them as needed.CDC: Namibia made it to the Super 12s last year and also beat Scotland at that stage. Do you think that the expectations from the team have gone up going into this edition?AM: We had Sri Lanka, Ireland and Netherlands in our group [last World Cup]. We were definitely the underdogs. To be brutally honest about it, we thought we were going to go home early. But there&rsquo;s also a lot of desire in the side. On those hot days in Abu Dhabi, we wanted it more than the other teams. This year we&rsquo;ll play with a bit more belief. We&rsquo;ve played against the Netherlands in the past and we&rsquo;ve done well against the UAE. We&rsquo;ve got the experience now when we play against Sri Lanka [in the first game]. We know what we&rsquo;re up against.&nbsp;Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/t20-world-cup-2022-how-are-the-associate-nations-shaping-up-1665564887955" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">T20 World Cup 2022: How are the associate nations shaping up?</a>They&rsquo;ll probably be a tough but to crack for us, but that&rsquo;s okay. That&rsquo;s a fantastic opportunity for us to play against the best in the world. We believe we are good enough to beat the Netherlands and UAE on the day.CDC: How do you think the team is shaping up for the T20 World Cup?AM: We need to improve in certain areas. For us the biggest thing is to get most of the guys in form. I&rsquo;m a firm believer in a competition like this you need at least seven or eight members of your squad in-form. On his day, one guy can win you a game but to play consistently over a long period in a tournament like this you need a few performances from a few guys. Leading up to the tournament we played in Papua New Guinea, the format was 50 over cricket, but at least a few guys got some runs there.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665809923639-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">We played a warm-up game against Scotland in a place just outside Melbourne. Since then it has started raining. Luckily we&rsquo;ve had some opportunity to go to the indoor facility and do some maintenance work in the gym facility we have here. Then when we leave Sunday [October 9] we have two warm-up games against Zimbabwe which is a very strong team and also Ireland. I still believe there&rsquo;s enough time to get the guys ready.&nbsp;UPDATE:&nbsp;Namibia beat Ireland by 11 runs in the first warm-up game at MCG, successfully defending 138, the highlight of which was fast bowler Ben Shikongo picking up three wickets in four balls. The second game against Zimbabwe at the Junction Oval was washed out without toss.CDC: Finally, from me, you will be Stephen Fleming&#39;s assistant coach at the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. You previously played under him for CSK. How excited are you to be reunited with Fleming and the franchise you represented for many years here at the IPL?AM: I&rsquo;m really excited. It&rsquo;s going to be amazing, not only to be a part of it but also for Cricket in South Africa. It&rsquo;s something that the country really needed. Looks like the structures, the owners and the franchise is going to be around for more than 10 years. I&rsquo;m very excited to be involved with the CSK franchise, learning from Flem. He has been one of the best T20 coaches over the last decade. It&rsquo;s a great time for me to learn from him and in my own way give some advice and try to help the players to be the best they can be.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The former South Africa all-rounder, who took up the assistant coach's role after his playing days talks to Cricket.com on Namibia's rise, what it means to the country, the side's preparation for the T20 World Cup and more

Albie Morkel

Pierre de Bruyn

Gerhard Erasmus

ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Australia, 2022

Namibia

Albie Morkel: Namibia’s success has awakened a little giant in the country

Namibia&rsquo;s rise in world cricket is there for everyone to see. Not too long ago, they did not have any proper structure in place but in the last three years or so, they have secured ODI status, are on the verge of playing the 50-over World Cup Qualifiers and are now set to play their second T20 World Cup in as many years.Namibia stunned the world when the beat the Netherlands and Ireland in the previous edition to make the Super 12s, through which they have qualified for this years&rsquo; mega event in Australia as well.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/67897/Ruben-Trumpelmann/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ruben Trumpelmann</a> was brought into the Namibian system to provide the side with pace and ability to penetrate the batting line-up with his swing. An opportunity to play in a World Cup is what every cricketer dreams of and the fast bowler is no different. Trumpelmann, who qualifies to play for Namibia as his father was born there, has taken to international cricket like fish to water.Also Read -&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/t20-world-cup-2022-how-are-the-associate-nations-shaping-up-1665564887955" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">T20 World Cup 2022: How are the associate nations shaping up?</a>&ldquo;If you look back at it, playing in a World Cup is always a big motivation. If you ask any young boy growing up playing cricket if you can play a World Cup is a big motivator,&rdquo; Trumpelmann told Cricket.com.&ldquo;In that sense, you want to play at the international stage and want to compete. You want to be playing the best people in the world and in that sense Namibia gave me a chance.&rdquo;Trumpelmann wreaked havoc in the last World cup where he floored Scotland in the Super 12, picking up three wickets in an over. Thanks to his feat, Namibia, who had already scripted history by making it to the main round, went one step further to win their first game at that level as well.<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UITVsf3UHkM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Recalling his spell, Trumpelmann says, &ldquo;It&#39;s something I didn&#39;t expect, it&#39;s something that doesn&#39;t happen that often I&rsquo;ve played for a long time, I&#39;ve never had an over like that before that and I&rsquo;ve never had one after that.&nbsp;&ldquo;So, it&#39;s one of those overs that just happens and everything just clicked and got my team off to a flyer which is awesome. We got out first Super 12 victory. That&#39;s the important thing: breaking down boundaries and going forward in that regard. No complains in that regard, that ticks it all.&rdquo;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3544/Albie-Morkel/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Albie Morkel</a> played a pivotal role in getting Trumpelmann, a student at the University of Pretoria, into the Namibian set-up alongside David Wiese. However, the team has been well-oiled thanks to the efforts put in by <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/39146/Pierre-de-bruyn/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pierre de Bruyn</a> over the years, in tandem with Morkel.&quot;Pierre brings a lot of structure towards the team. With him, he just gives you direction, focuses on the direction you&#39;re heading into,&rdquo; the 24-year-old said.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665735340744-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&ldquo;On the other hand, Albie is more of a relaxed guy, you can have a good conversation with him, always open and always up for a good laugh with the immense amount of information he can give you to help you grow your career having played on the big stage across the world.&rdquo;Coaches aside, it is vital for any bowler to be in sync with his skipper. After all, they are going to be one the field to execute all that was discussed off the field. <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/57890/Gerhard-Erasmus/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gerhard Erasmus</a> has led by example and is one of the reasons for Namibia&rsquo;s rise.Despite breaking his finger in the last year&rsquo;s World Cup, he soldiered on and had his surgery only after Namibia&rsquo;s campaign ended.&nbsp;&ldquo;He&#39;s someone who backs you on the field. He&#39;s got exceptional cricket knowledge, he&#39;s a student of the game. He loves studying the opposition and finding the best way forward for the team to win,&rdquo; the Durban-born pacer said.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665735175199-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&ldquo;With what we have, you need to work with what your strengths are and that&#39;s something he really focusses on. As a player, it&#39;s really nice to know that you&#39;re backed to your strength, your areas, which allows you to perform to the best of your ability.&rdquo;Juggling studies and cricket is something many young players have to contend with if they are to make it big. In a chat with Cricket.com, UAE vice-captain <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/t20-world-cup-beckons-and-uae-are-up-for-it-1665396007626" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Vriitya Aravind too recalled how he did so</a>, right from his Under-19 days where he even gave mock exams while on the World Cup in South Africa in 2020.Support from your school or university plays a huge role. Whether you make it big or not as a cricketer is a different story altogether, and Trumpelmann reckons that the course they take up helps them in life after cricket, whenever that might be.&ldquo;I am a lucky that there was a great support system at the University of Pretoria. They allowed me to pursue my cricketing career as well as study. I think that&#39;s important for every player around the world, especially for a young player to have a back-up because you have no guarantees whether you can make it or not,&rdquo; Trumplemann, who is particularly inspired by Mitchell Johnson&rsquo;s fierce on-field display, feels.&ldquo;Even though you&#39;re going to make it, what are you going to do after that? They gave me a platform to actually do that. Hopefully, I can use my studies in the future to create for myself some different business opportunities in my life after cricket, even though that might be just 10 years away!&rdquo;Namibia are not short of left-arm pace options. They have four in their squad - Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Tangeni Lungameni - and you throw in the left-arm spin option of Bernard Scholtz there and their attack might give an impression that it is fairly one-dimensional. However, Trumpelmann assures that&rsquo;s not the case.&ldquo;I got a bit more pace than the other three [left-arm pacers] so I&#39;m bit more of a strike bowler. But each one of us are different in our own way, we bring our own element into the game and that makes it special. It&#39;s nice to actually have a few left-armers to talk to,&rdquo; Trumpelmann, who has secured his first franchise T20 League contract with the Desert Vipers in the ILT20, said.&ldquo;A lot of time you&#39;re the only left-armer in the team and you have no one to bounce your ideas with. We four like to work together, find the best mix with each bringing their own element. So, that&#39;s awesome.&rdquo;Namibia play their three matches in Geelong, against Sri Lanka, Netherlands UAE and have been in Australia since the last week of September to acclimatise with the conditions.&nbsp;&ldquo;Sri Lanka just came off an Asia Cup win. I think we&#39;re excited for the challenge once again. We&#39;ll be more prepared from a mental point of view of what to expect. In the first game [last World Cup] we were caught out, but this time I don&#39;t think that&#39;ll be the case. We&#39;re really up for the challenge,&rdquo; Trumpelmann said of Namibia&rsquo;s opponents.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1665735513610-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> &ldquo;The Netherlands and UAE are two quality sides that&#39;s the reason they are in the World Cup, we will play them accordingly. We respect them as teams and they have players that can take the game away from you, so we need to respect that as well. At the end of the day, our goal will be to get to the Super 12 and that&#39;s the expectations for us from the team as well.&rdquo;The expectations from Namibia could be a tad higher this time around given their impressive show last year. It will be no different for Trumpelmann who will hope to add to his six wickets from the previous edition as he looks to bamboozle batters once again.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Trumpelmann, who is set to play his second T20 World Cup in as many years, is one of four left-arm seamers Namibia posses in their armoury

Ruben Trumpelmann: Playing in a World Cup is always a big motivation

While the world is busy reveling in the success of the four teams that have reached the knockout stage of the T20 extravaganza, there are two teams that have made the people stand up and take notice of their stupendous show in this tournament. Away from the glaring eyes of the media, Namibia and Scotland underwent grueling hours of sessions with an aim to get an opportunity in the qualifying round of this tournament and showcase their skills in the international arena.&nbsp;22nd October 2021: The stage was set for a classic showdown as Namibia and Ireland locked horns in a virtual knockout game to seal their place in the Super 12s. A disciplined bowling performance helped the Eagles restrict the opposition for 125/8 in the 20 overs. In reply, two of the mainstays in the batting unit of Namibia, Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese, stitched a 53-run partnership for the third wicket. As the South African all-rounder smashed the winnings runs, the team management of Namibia and the cricket frenzy fans erupted in joy as it marked a glorious chapter in their history.&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 851px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1451540669881888778&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2Famidst-the-lows-namibia-and-scotland-showcase-glimpses-of-great-things-to-follow-1636557797156&sessionId=15877b733086416750d9cb7835eb0288de3560f4&theme=light&widgetsVersion=f001879%3A1634581029404&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1451540669881888778"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>One of the most experienced players in the squad, Craig Williams, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/craig-williams-namibia-blessed-to-have-someone-like-gerhard-erasmus-as-captain-1635253434479" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">summed up the emotions of the side in an exclusive conversation with Cricket.com</a>&nbsp;after qualifying for the Super 12s. &quot;It was extremely emotional for the whole team. It&rsquo;s been a three-year process since Pierre de Bruyn, Albie Morkel joined us in rebuilding and getting new things in place. The moment was fantastic, but I think the emotion came from the amount of work that&rsquo;s gone in the last three years, the amount of sacrifices, early hours in the gym, look weekends of play, long trips away from home. All came together when we realized we&rsquo;ve done something extremely special for the country. &quot; he said.&nbsp;On the other hand, Scotland too created noises for the right reasons as they edged past Bangladesh in their opening game by six runs after a cliffhanger. After reeling at 53/6 in the first innings, not many people gave them a chance to post a substantial total on the board. However, Chris Greaves had other ideas as he single-handedly shouldered the responsibility of the side and smashed 45 off 28 deliveries to help Scotland post 140/9 in the first innings. With the ball, 2/19 in three overs to dent the middle order of the side and help Scotland record a famous win.&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 874px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1449795718919573506&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2Famidst-the-lows-namibia-and-scotland-showcase-glimpses-of-great-things-to-follow-1636557797156&sessionId=15877b733086416750d9cb7835eb0288de3560f4&theme=light&widgetsVersion=f001879%3A1634581029404&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1449795718919573506"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>While most people might not be able to feel the emotions and the impact these matches have on the people back home, the veteran batter shared insights on the struggle and the happiness back home. &quot;Namibia is a beautiful country. Our people have been through so much with drought and Covid and fires and recessions. This is just a beautiful story of how this small group of people have been able to compete with the giants. We hope all the people back home can take into their personal lives and just realize that dreams do come true, &quot; Williams said.&nbsp;The two sides started the tournament as the underdogs; however, they produced some iconic moments along the way that&#39;ll be etched in the memory of every fan. We take a look at some of the instances that grabbed eyeballs and got the cricketing pundits to stand and applaud their scintillating show.&nbsp;Triple strikes in an over ft. Ruben Trumpelmann<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/e1d7de9e99bb3150e1c5b70efc6c5a90f1357eaa.png" style="width: 600px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Ruben Trumpelmann, one of the leading left-arm pacers, wreaked havoc in the first over against Scotland as he scalped three wickets in the first over to carve his name in the record books to become the first player to take three wickets in an over in the shortest format of the game. The 23-year old derailed the batting unit of the opposition with three wickets in the first four deliveries, courtesy of a brilliant display of fast bowling that propelled the Eagles to a resounding win.&nbsp;Safyaan Sharif&#39;s opening burst&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/43c17bd955beefea365b4df30ee3d50e34054072.png" style="width: 600px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Sayfaan Sharif has been one of the go-to players for Kyle Coetzer in the powerplay. The right-arm pacer has been the leading wicket-taker in this phase and has four wickets at an economy rate of 4.6, which is the best among bowlers with a minimum of five overs. The 30-year old was instrumental in denting the Black Caps with two wickets in an over and helped Scotland restrict New Zealand&#39;s charge in the field restrictions.&nbsp;Erasmus battles for the nation with a broken fingerThe skipper of the Eagles endured a freak accident in the final warm-up match of the side that resulted in a broken finger. While he had the option of returning home and opting for surgery, the right-handed batter stayed with the team and guided them through the tournament with injections and pain killers. One of the reasons behind Namibia&#39;s rise at the international level, the 26-year old showcased his leadership skills and ensured the team does not face any difficulty due to his injury.&nbsp;Mark Watt stifles oppositions in middle overs<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/d41f539c07d9acc6ad186fd30493732c5a6eef62.png" style="width: 600px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Mark Watt displayed immense consistency in this edition of the World Cup and conceded at an economy rate of 5.5 in the middle overs among bowlers with a minimum of 10 overs. The left-arm spinner has been one of the most consistent bowlers for the Scotland outfit and stifled the opposition with his nagging line and length. Despite the results not going in their way, the 25-year old spun a web around the opponents and helped Scotland crawl their way back in the contest.&nbsp;Impact of David Wiese&nbsp;One of the notable additions to the Eagles side has been of David Wiese. With a wealth of experience at the international level, the all-rounder has been crucial in guiding the team on and off the field. Williams reflected on the role of Wiese and highlighted the impact he has created in the group by saying, &quot;David has been fantastic for the team, he has played around the world, and he showed that when the pressure is on, he really steps up. It&rsquo;s been fantastic to have someone of his caliber join our team.&quot;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/17b757cf37765f139b2a1f0244f3817296a23c12.png" style="width: 600px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The 36-year old has been a vital cog in the side and lends stability with his all-round prowess. He has scalped six wickets and scored 227 runs, which is among the three all-rounders who have scored 100+ runs and taken five-plus wickets.&quot;It&rsquo;s just not what he is doing on the field, winning us games, it&rsquo;s also what he is doing off the field as well &ndash; teaching the next generation of what it is all about. Because of someone like him, we will see the next young Namibians, the next David Wiese coming through the pipeline sometime soon, &quot; Williams added.&nbsp;The road aheadWith consistent performances in this edition of the tournament, the two sides have gained an automatic qualification in the first round of the next T20 World Cup by virtue of competing in the Super 12s. While the next world event is within a year in Australia, there are a few areas the two sides can improve in a short span of time.&nbsp;Namibia will need to improve their batting in the powerplay and try to score quick rune to give the team a flying start in the field restrictions. Overall, the Eagles will need to find the gaps as they have scored a boundary every 11.2 balls, which is the worst among all the teams.&nbsp;While bowling and restricting the opposition has been their strength, the Eagles will need to create opportunities to pick up wickets to dent the flow of runs. The spin bowling unit have picked up only two wickets in the Super 12 stage and have a ball per wicket ratio of 39, which is the worst among all the teams.&nbsp;On the other hand, Scotland needs to build partnerships as the side has lost a wicket every 13.5 deliveries, which is the worst among all the teams in the Super 12s. With wickets tumbling at regular intervals, the batters have failed to attack the opposition bowling unit and scored at a run rate of six, which is the lowest.&nbsp;While the team does not have the experience of playing against high-quality opposition frequently, they can take plenty of positives from their campaign in the world event and look to improve and get better in every department.&nbsp;The performances of the two sides have been an inspiration for the people back home and augur well for the sport. As an ardent fan of the game, their heroics make me believe their best is yet to come.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Despite bowing out of the Super 12s, Namibia and Scotland can be proud of their performances in this edition of the World Cup

David Wiese

Craig Williams

Mark Watt

Safyaan Sharif

ICC World Twenty20, 2021

Scotland

Amidst the lows, Namibia and Scotland showcase glimpses of great things to follow

When the T20 World Cup schedule was finalized after the conclusion of Round 1, a vast majority expected the India vs Namibia clash on the 8th of November to be a dead rubber.&nbsp;India, everyone assumed, would have sealed semi-final qualification by then, while no one expected Namibia to still be in contention for the knockouts during the final matchday. As it has turned out, this intuition was not wrong. Monday&rsquo;s clash between India and Namibia is indeed going to be the dead-est of dead rubbers.There is one major difference, though. Monday&rsquo;s clash is going to be a dead rubber because it will feature two sides that have already been knocked out of the competition.&nbsp;India needed Afghanistan to get the better of New Zealand in Abu Dhabi to stay alive in this T20 World Cup, but a clinic from the BlackCaps on Sunday has ensured that the Men in Blue, in a day&rsquo;s time, will be packing their bags and going back home. Now, this is a twist no one saw coming.There is no harm in going ahead and using the clich&eacute;d phrase that India will be &lsquo;playing for pride&rsquo; against Namibia. But there is, in fact, a better and more relevant context to Monday&rsquo;s encounter: the Namibia game will be Virat Kohli&rsquo;s final match as the T20I skipper of India.&nbsp;And without a doubt, the entire unit will be motivated to ensure that they send their skipper off on a positive note. Kohli&rsquo;s only T20 World Cup as captain did not go the way he or the side would have expected, but the fact remains that, under his leadership, the team has had many memorable wins across the world, albeit in bilateral tournaments.&nbsp;As harsh as may it sound, perhaps a dominant victory on Monday might be the fitting end to Kohli&rsquo;s T20I, and maybe even white-ball, captaincy: ruthless and invincible in inconsequential encounters; listless and frail when the heat is on.&nbsp;Can Namibia&rsquo;s sea of left-armers keep India quiet up-front?The losses against Pakistan and New Zealand left India with no option but to bat with intent in the following two matches, and that almost seemed to liberate the batters. Unshackled by the situation, the Indian batters, particularly the openers, against both Afghanistan and Scotland, batted as if they were possessed and bludgeoned every ball that was even slightly misdirected.&nbsp;With nothing left to play for, we can perhaps expect them to walk out with a similar mindset against Namibia, but to replicate it will be something easier said than done. For thus far in this World Cup, Namibia have been one of the best bowling sides in the first half of games.&nbsp;In this Super 12 stage so far, Namibia are only one of three sides to have maintained an ER lower than 6.00 inside the first 10 overs, and are in fact only marginally behind England&rsquo;s 5.7. They are low on the wickets column, but there has been no shortage of discipline.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/4105df859dbd5d2d5d826096de01391e1e9caa68.png" style="width: 800px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> And this has been enabled by their sea of left-arm seamers, in particular the duo of Ruben Trumpelmann and JJ Smit. Trumpelmann and Smit, between them in the Super 12 stage, have bowled 16 overs in the first half of the game and have conceded at just 5.12 an over. In fact, this number further drops to 4.58 versus right-handers.Both Rohit and Rahul have struck at just over 120 in T20s against left-arm seamers since last year, but Rohit, notably, has been vulnerable to left-arm pace for the good part of half-a-decade. Since 2016, the 34-year-old averages just under 24 against left-arm seamers in T20 cricket, but has been dismissed a staggering 20 times in 65 innings (once per 18 balls).<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/d7eb464d19d725eb45d8447d30ac7991bda2d0ed.png" style="width: 800px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> It would, therefore, be interesting to see if India try to be slightly more cautious up-front. It will be an approach that will make total sense too, for Namibia are at their most vulnerable towards the back end of the innings: in this Super 12 stage, Namibia&rsquo;s ER of 9.7 in overs 11-20 is the worst among all teams.&nbsp;One final chance for the Namibian batters to showcase their talentWhen Namibia, led by a sensational knock from skipper Gerhard Erasmus, completed a perfect chase against Ireland to seal Super 12 qualification, expectations were high. They were, at the very least, expected to compete with the bat in the Super 12 stage, not least because of the firepower they possessed.&nbsp;But, so far at least, reality has been grim. No batter barring David Wiese has averaged over 26 in the Super 12 stage, with the biggest disappointment of the lot being skipper Erasmus, who has accumulated just 34 runs from 4 outings. The Namibian batters have simply not done justice to their talent.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/c7e15d5df9b221a5a450ff6787adc2618650a1e8.png" style="width: 800px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Monday&rsquo;s clash against India, then, will be a golden opportunity for Erasmus &amp; Co. to give a good account of themselves.&nbsp;It won&rsquo;t be easy by any means, however. India will enter the encounter fresh off a rout against Scotland, having bowled the Scottish out for a mere 85, and Namibia have also struggled against spin. So far in this Super 12 stage, Namibia&rsquo;s SR of 104.8 against spinners is the third-worst amongst all teams, behind West Indies and Australia. Their balls-per-boundary figure of 10.9 is the worst in the entire competition.With India once again expected to field three spinners, Namibia will have their work cut out with the bat in Dubai.&nbsp;Probable XIsIndia: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Chakaravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit BumrahNamibia: Stephan Baard, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Michael van Lingen, Karl Birkenstock, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard ScholtzPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Monday’s clash against Namibia will be Virat Kohli’s final match as the captain of the T20I side

JJ Smit

KL Rahul

Rohit Sharma

Virat Kohli

India

Out of semi-final contention, India aim to give Kohli a fitting captaincy farewell

High on confidence from their 70-ball win against West Indies, England were up against a deflated Bangladesh in the first encounter. In the other match, Scotland were up against Namibia in search of some assurance after a dismal batting and bowling display.Bangladesh won the flip of the coin and decided to bat first. But, it backfired on them. Both openers were dismissed in back-to-back deliveries of the third over. Their most experienced batsman Shakib Al Hasan as well was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay. None of their batsmen, including Mushfiqur Rahim got going. Hence, they crawled to a score of 124/9. It was a cakewalk for England. Jason Roy was the star with the bat as he scored 61 off just 38 balls. Eventually, England won the encounter with eight wickets and 35 balls margin.In the second match, once again, Scotland were off to their worst possible start batting first. The left-arm pacer Ruben Trumpelmann struck off the first delivery and followed it up by another two in the first over. In the first six overs, Scotland were down to 22/4. But, a blistering 27-ball 44 by Michael Leask, prevented Scotland from yet another collapse. In the end, all Scotland could get was 109 runs on board. Chasing a meager total, Namibian batsmen had all the time. There were few hiccups in between as they lost wickets in the middle overs. But, the target was too low to instigate any panic. Namibia won their first encounter in the Super 12 stage with four wickets. Here are some notable stats from Match 20 and 21:Struggles for Liton DasIn the absence of Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das is their most experienced opener. After a good year of T20 cricket in 2020, Liton is striving to score runs in 2021. Apart from a 33 against New Zealand in September and a 29 against Papua New Guinea in this edition, he has struggled to go past 20 in the rest of the 11 innings. Hence, his average this year dropped down to 10.8 in 13 innings. Among the top five batsmen of the Test playing nations who have scored 100+ runs, only Tadiwanashee Marumani off Zimbabwe has averaged lower than him.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/8c69bef6f9d5dddec8af9b4dcba2906554b62c8b.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">England bowlers peakingIt was another successful outing for the England bowlers in this edition of World Cup. After skittling out West Indies for just 55, English bowlers on cloud nine were too much for the Bangladeshi batsmen. A collective performance that was led by Tymal Mills (3/27) saw Bangladesh score 124/9. This is the lowest total against England for a team after batting full 20 overs in a T20 WC match.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/d08b695f5c0865c1da0e5b04e123c0f6fe36aec5.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">Roy shines in his 50th T20IChasing a low total off 125, openers like Roy play a vital role in magnifying the net run rate. In Match 20, Roy reached his second 50+ score in T20 WC. For England, he became the second opener to have multiple scores in T20 WC. Alex Hales is the other opener to achieve this feat. He has one century and one half-century. As a cherry on top, his fiery innings fetched him the Player of the Match award and he became the second England player after Eoin Morgan to bag a Player of the Match award in their 50th T20I.Trumpelmann topples Scotland&rsquo;s top-orderIn search of a redemption from their previous batting display, Scotland sunk further against Namibia. In this match, it wasn&#39;t a mystery spin but a tall lanky fast bowler in the form of Trumpelmann. In the first delivery of the match, George Munsey chopped it on to the stumps. In his third and fourth delivery, Callum McCleod and Richie Berrington were packed off for ducks and in a matter of minutes of the start, Trumpelmann had three. He became the first ever bowler in T20Is to pick up three wickets in the first overs of the match. Overall, he was the third bowler to achieve this feat in a T20I innings after Angelo Mathews in 2009 T20 WC against West Indies and Emmanuel Sebareme of Rwanda against Lesotho in 2021.Slumped to a lowAfter losing their main run scorers in the first over, Scotland made a decent enough recovery as compared to their match against Afghanistan. Leask was the main contributor in that with a 27-ball 44-run knock. But, lack of support from other batsmen saw Scotland post only 109/8 in their full quota of 20 overs. In a T20 WC innings in which a team has played full 20 overs without being all-out, this is the second lowest score.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/5c4c8096a33f83d490434bf0113ee4c525a221a6.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">Left-arm pacers day-outStarting with Trumpelmann in the first over, the flurry of wickets ended with Jan Frylinck in the 19th over. Out of the eight wickets bagged by Namibia in this innings, six off them belonged to left-arm pacers. Wiese bagged one and another one came off a run-out in the last ball of the innings. In a T20 WC innings, this is the joint most wickets bagged by left-arm pacers.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/39dcbdda4159e2879bd93c75e7a51e9d56a644d7.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">The early joltStupendous bowling in the first over by Trumpelmann saw Scotland reduced to three for just two runs. In a T20 WC match, this was only the fourth time a team had been reduced to three wickets for less than five runs. Kenya against New Zealand in the inaugural edition of the T20 WC were three down for zero runs on board. West Indies in 2009 against Sri Lanka and Netherlands in 2014 against the same opponents were three for just one run on board.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few noteworthy stats from Match 20 & 21 of ICC T20 World Cup 2021 between England and Bangladesh and Scotland and Namibia in Abu Dhabi

Jason Roy

Liton Das

Jan Frylinck

England

Bangladesh

Trumpelmann becomes the 2nd bowler to 3 wickets in the 1st over as Scotland slump to a low

Namibia, who are making their T20 World Cup debut, extended their dream run in the tournament, toppling Scotland in the Super 12 stage by four wickets in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday (October 27).&nbsp;Namibia went into this game at the back of two back-to-back victories over the Netherlands and Ireland, while Scotland, who were without their injured skipper Kyle Coetzer were decimated by Afghanistan by 130 runs in their last Super 12 game.Ruben Trumpelmann was the star for Namibia as he picked up three wickets in the very first over of the match to put Scotland on the back foot. His efforts played a huge role in restricting Scotland to a mere 109 for 8 from their 20 overs.George Munsey played on the first ball of the match before Trumpelmann had Calum Macleod caught behind off an angled delivery as the batter anticipated a lethal inswinger. The next ball was the inswinger and Richard Berrington, who was leading Scotland in place of injured Kyle Coetzer, could do little about it. He reviewed the on-field umpire&#39;s decision but DRS found the ball clipping the leg-stump.Scotland were reeling at 18 for 4 after all-rounder David Wiese trapped Craig Wallace in front of the stumps with a ball that skidded onto the batter&#39;s pads. Michael Leask played an excellent innings, scoring 44 off just 25 and then a 32-ball 25 from Chris Greaves took Scotland past 100. It should have been a straightforward chase but Scotland made it extremely tough for Namibia on a slow pitch.The Scottish spin trio of Chris Greaves, Mark Watt and Leask were able to maintain the pressure on Namibia batters but the seasoned David Wiese (16 off 15) and JJ Smith (32* off 23) found a way to break the shackles.Wiese was dismissed when Namibia was close to the finishing line but Smit ensured his team crossed the finishing line in the 20th over with a six over point. Openers Craig Williams (23) and Michael van Lingen (18) made a sedate start to the run chase and though runs were hard to come by, the required run rate was never an issue.&nbsp;Scotland bowled their heart out but their batters inability to put enough runs on the board led to their downfall.Namibia will look to continue their winning run when they take on a dangerous Afghanistan side on Sunday (October 31). Scotland, on the other hand, will face New Zealand next on Wednesday (November 3).Brief scores:Scotland 109 for 8 in 20 overs (Michael Leask 44, Chris Greaves 25; Ruben Trumpelmann 3 for 17) lost to Namibia 115 for 6 in 19.1 overs (JJ Smit 32*, Craig Williams 23; Michael Leask 2 for 12) by 4 wickets(With inputs from PTI)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The Namibia pacer picked up three wickets in the first over of the match, which did not allow Scotland to recover

Namibia edge past Scotland following Ruben Trumpelmann's dream spell

Time and again in this edition of the T20 World Cup, Namibia have shown nerves of steel, they have shown that even though it is all stacked against you, if you trust yourself enough, you can get past that challenge.&nbsp;After being crushed in their qualification opener against Sri Lanka, none gave them any chance in a group that had Ireland and Netherlands but that&rsquo;s where they showed skills. First skills, next nerves and then there was the wild celebration. Following their wins over both Ireland and Netherlands, there was David Wiese, who walked back, punching the air.<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/8702593a28d605630c5a806ab8d1af8fb2fcd81f.png" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> No one expected them to clear the qualification and then once they did, none expected them to get a win. See that&rsquo;s where hindsight comes in handy for me. Namibia had an entire country full of beaming hopes behind them. At every juncture, the atmosphere was tense but at the same time, calm.&nbsp;Heading into the clash against Scotland, the odds were once again against Namibia. They were facing one of the in-form sides, who had just gone past Bangladesh so effortlessly. Scotland were giant-slayers on Sunday (October 17) and when it was Namibia against them, they would have sighed some relief, especially after going down the Afghanistan route.&nbsp;But Namibia had won eight out of their last nine T20Is, losing the only game against Sri Lanka. They had the form on their side and so did Scotland. Once Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and chose to bowl, there was a roar somewhere in the dressing room. Namibia walked in favourites, in conditions where chasing is arguably the easier of the lot but several sides have lost from that position of ascendancy.&nbsp;Unlike some of the other sides in the competition, Namibia&rsquo;s pace bowling is just a bunch of tricksters, who aren&rsquo;t quite express. Three left-arm seamers in the same team, the African side were still believing. Ruben Trumpelmann, who was entrusted with the new ball turned a new page on the night.&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 346px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2hvcml6b25fdHdlZXRfZW1iZWRfOTU1NSI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJodGUiLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3NwYWNlX2NhcmQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib2ZmIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH19&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1453367813611999232&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2Fnamibia-and-the-nerves-of-steel-1635357237639&sessionId=33336c7a13efe8be7d74442b944bab858a7cc0dc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=f001879%3A1634581029404&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1453367813611999232"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Another South African export, Trumpelmann was convinced by Namibia&rsquo;s assistant coach Albie Morkel to play for the country. Ahead of the tournament, <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/video/2298495" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Morkel&rsquo;s words were simple but echoed the sentiment of an entire nation.</a>&ldquo;No one is really expecting, we are confident. We will take a positive mindset. We are not going to die wondering, we will play our cards and we will show what we did in the last two and half years. If we lose, we will come out of the tournament with our heads held high,&rdquo; Albie Morkel told ICC ahead of the tournament.&nbsp;Those words certainly would have echoed in Trumpelmann&rsquo;s head, who bowled an over that would go down in history books, three wickets conceding just two runs. Scotland were already without their skipper Kyle Coetzer, now they were reduced to bare minimum, all thanks to the South Africa-born&rsquo;s left-arm brilliance.&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/7b01dea338087fa1cb28796a4e56f711fe04464e.png" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> Namibia had a foot in cloud nine but Scotland brought them back with some brilliant batting in the middle-overs. However, the experience of Wiese combined with the talent of JJ Smit, who Morkel hailed as a complete &lsquo;T20 package&rsquo; was certainly on display, with two wickets between the two.&nbsp;*****************Scotland batted their entire overs and yet could only manage to get to 109 at the end of their innings. The game was half done, Scotland very well knew that they will have chances in the second half and Namibia, likewise, were aware that it is only half-job done.&nbsp;Craig Williams is 37, is one of Namibia&rsquo;s most experienced batters, yet the pressure of big games might be daunting. He walked with a new opening partner, in Michael van Lingen and they were against Scotland, a force with the ball in the powerplay stage. It was a battle for the side who only got their ODI status in 2019. They had a real hope but knew that complacency might very well lead to a disaster.&nbsp;They scored just 29 in the powerplay, and at the stroke of the sixth over, lost van Lingen who went swinging. The pressure of the scoreboard was soon catching up and they had to take the pressure off, in came Zane Green with a boundary. In the next over, there was Williams, who swung his bat for a maximum.&nbsp;50 runs after the end of the ninth over, Namibia suddenly found themselves leap-frogging Scotland as favourites. Perhaps, that&rsquo;s where complacency first met them, losing Green and skipper Erasmus in the next two overs. Two became three as Williams came haring down the track. At 71/4, two of Namibia&rsquo;s most aggressive batters &ndash; JJ Smit and Wiese &ndash; had to keep calm.&nbsp;It might seem easy to some of the other batsmen but for two aggressive batters, it just means too much chaos. Keeping a sane head, the two rotated strike and ran hard. Once pace in the form of Safyaan Sharif was brought back, Namibia took off. Pretty quickly, the boundaries started flowing and they needed just 14 off 18.&nbsp;<img data-fr-image-pasted="true" src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/4fe1dd83bdb1ee80009d0f4d3f261c7384075d75.png" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-style: none; max-width: 100%; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> 14 was down to eight when Wiese smashed one over the boundary. But his dismissal put the game back into the mix. With just seven needed, Smit had to be a calming presence. All the pressure of the nation was on his shoulders. His boundary edged Namibia closer.&nbsp;&ldquo;He (JJ Smit) is definitely one to watch out for, powerful hitter. The guy who can clear any boundary in the world with ease. He bowls some nice left-arm seamers, he is complete package. Certainly, one to watch out for,&rdquo; Morkel added.&nbsp;With one run to get, Smit made everyone watch out for his talent and the ball as he cleared the boundary with ease, to get Namibia off the mark in Super 12s. It was their first win in the Super 12 stage and it was yet again, down to their nerves of steel.&quot;Delighted to get another World Cup win, another proud moment for the team. From here on we have to lift our level. We are excited for the challenge. Hopefully we can execute on those days. We all know we back each other. It was always about showing good intent,&quot; skipper Gerhard Erasmus said.&quot;Quite big (celebrating the victory), pretty proud moment. We savour this with the small Namibian group out here and all the people back home. Small but very proud country. We owe it to them back home.&quot;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

At 67/4, chasing 110, the game was in favour of Scotland, owing to their wealth of experience