Namibia shocked a Scotland side missing captain Kyle Coetzer to dehydration by 24 runs in Dubai to record their first win of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.
Scotland looked like they were missing their leader, too, as they fell to their second Group A defeat in the tournament to a rejuvenated Namibian side.
Gerhard Erasmus (37) and Craig Williams (31) built a middle order platform for Namibia which JJ Smit used to hit a bruising 22-ball 43 as they posted 159 for six from their 20 overs.
Calum MacLeod (39) and Richie Berrington (23) hit a 48-run stand as Scotland looked well placed on 64 for two at the halfway mark but Jan Frylinck and Christi Viljoen took two wickets each to put the breaks on a chase that eventually fell flat with the Scots finishing on 135 for eight from 20 overs.
It is Netherlands, though, who continue to set the pace in Group A after they maintained their 100 per cent record with a five-wicket victory over Singapore.
Timm van der Gugten and Roelof van der Merwe took three wickets apiece to skittle their opponents for 101 all out in 18.5 overs.
Max O’Dowd (35) and Colin Ackermann (34 not out) saw Netherlands through to the target relatively comfortably with 21 balls to spare.
Meanwhile, the sole Group B fixture of the day saw Jersey move up to second with a 35-run win over UAE, Benjamin Ward hitting 47 with the bat while Harrison Carlyon took three for 15 and Ben Stevens three for 20.
Namibia storm through to beat Scotland by 24 runs
Namibia shocked a Kyle Coetzer-less Scotland to record their first win of the tournament as JJ Smit’s (43) late flurry and Jan Frylinck (two for 15) and Christi Viljoen’s (two for 24) wickets proved too much for Scotland.
Despite falling to 46-3, captain Gerhard Erasmus (37) and Craig Williams (31) steadied the innings before Smit gave it much needed impetus with his fiery 22-ball effort which included four sixes as Namibia recorded 159 for six from 20 overs.
Scotland were two down early but, despite a similar fightback from Calum MacLeod (39) and Richie Berrington (23) Frylinck and Viljoen built pressure with disciplined bowling before ripping through Scotland’s engine room as they fell short on 135 for eight from 20 overs.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said: “We batted well to set a decent score and that momentum we took into the bowling innings, our bowlers executed discipline and their changes of pace were really good.
“We needed a change of gear in our game plan and that’s what we did today when we won the toss and decided to bat first which has been a bit of a trend in this tournament, teams batting first have done well.
“After losing the first two games we had to reassure ourselves this tournament is only a baby and it is still early in the tournament so we’re going to take the positives from this game and hopefully step up one game at a time.”
Scotland captain Richie Berrington said: “I thought it was an excellent knock [JJ Smit’s] which changed the shape of the innings.
“It didn’t help losing two early wickets so it was important to rebuild which we did do and we also knew chasing there was going to be times when we needed to take options on but unfortunately today we didn’t quite execute as well as we can a few of our guys holed out as we lost wickets in clusters.
“We’ve got two games left, our next game is Bermuda, and we have to come back strong and take this one on the chin, whatever they throw at us we’re going to have to face it.”
Netherlands ease past Singapore by five wickets
Netherlands bowling duo Timm van der Gugten (three for nine) and Roelof van der Merwe (three for 22) secured the side’s third straight win as they claimed three wickets each with Singapore slipping from 71 for two to 101 all out in 18.5 overs.
It all started well for Singapore as Surendran Chandramohan (28), Aritra Dutta (20) and Tim David (19) set a platform for the innings but the third wicket of Manpreet Singh triggered a collapse of eight for 30 with van der Merwe and van der Gugten at the centre of the bowling effort.
In response, two early wickets from Amjad Mahboob and Selladore Vijayakumar gave Singapore hope but Max O’Dowd (35) and Colin Ackermann’s measured 34 not out steered Netherlands to their target in 16.3 overs.
Netherlands player Roelof van der Merwe said: “Timm van der Gugten bowled out of his boots today, he had his first-born child this morning so he’s a very committed fella.
“He came and stayed with us and missed that great event which shows the commitment of the guys in getting to Australia.”
Singapore captain Amjad Mahboob said: “In the first ten overs we were in a good position but in the middle our boys gave too many easy wickets away, we were 30-40 runs short.
“Credit goes to Netherlands, they held their nerve which is why the victory went to them.
“We repeated the same mistakes as against Qatar and I hope the coaches watch this back and ask why we did these things.”
Jersey prove too good for UAE by 35 runs
Jersey’s Benjamin Ward (47) provided the runs and Harrison Carlyon (three for 15) and Ben Stevens (three for 20) as their 147 all out from 20 overs proved a step too far for hosts UAE.
Having been 47-3 Jersey’s innings was teetering but Ward’s 47 from 24 balls included four sixes and was just the tonic to get the side to a respectable total, Junaid Siddique the pick of the UAE Bowlers with two for 34.
An opening stand of 60 between Rohan Mustafa (28) and Chirag Suri (27) looked to have put UAE in control of the chase but the spin of Carlyon and Stevens dragged the game back in the way of Jersey and inspired a collapse of eight wickets for 38 runs as UAE were bowled out for 112 from 19.2 overs.
Jersey player and man of the match Benjamin Ward said: “That performance today was exceptional, after losing to Canada in the last game it just spurred us on and we gelled and stuck together really really well.
“We’re always seen as the underdogs so in positions like that [being behind in the game] we’ve learnt how to fight through it and stick together, we all realised we needed to put all our weight into this game.
“After a performance like that today against UAE you are a strong side, we can look forward to the rest of the competition now.”
UAE coach Dougie Brown said: “Anytime you lose it’s disappointing, but you have to give credit to Jersey, they put a lot of pressure on us that we really should have been able to deal with.
“We soaked it up in the first part but I thought we were just a little bit limited bowling to [Benjamin] Ward but when you’re 50 for no wicket off six overs you’re in a position of authority and to lose away as badly as we did is incredibly disappointing.
“For whatever reason we went away from our plans and if you don’t bring your practice into game situations you’re going to suffer.”
Scores in brief:
Namibia beat Scotland by 24 runs, ICC Academy, Dubai
Namibia 159-6, 20 overs (JJ Smit 43, Gerhard Erasmus 37, Craig Williams 31; Josh Davey 2-29)
Scotland 135-8, 20 overs (Calum MacLeod 39, Richie Berrington 23; Jan Frylinck 2-15, Christi Viljoen 2-24)
Netherlands beat Singapore by five wickets, ICC Academy, Dubai
Singapore 101 all out, 20 overs (Surendran Chandramohan 28, Aritra Dutta 20, Tim David 19; Timm van der Gugten 3-9, Roelof van der Merwe 3-22, Paul van Meekeren 2-20, Brandon Glover 2-20)
Netherlands 104-5, 16.3 overs (Max O’Dowd 35, Colin Ackermann 34 not out, Roelof van der Merwe 19 not out)
Jersey beat UAE by 35 runs, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi
Jersey 147 all out, 20 overs (Benjamin Ward 47, Jonty Jenner 20; Junaid Siddique 2-34, Zahoor Khan 2-39)
UAE 112 all out, 19.2 overs (Rohan Mustafa 28, Chirag Suri 27; Harrison Carlyon 3-15, Ben Stevens 3-20, Charles Perchard 2-22)
© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2018
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