With the 2nd match over in these African Qualifiers for Nigeria and Namibia, one side clearly had the advantage in this match from start to finish, plus has almost guaranteed themselves a spot in the finals. After getting their second win straight by 100 runs, it clearly looked like they were much stronger in all phases, from bowling to batting.
A group that already has a ton of experience from the past, after making it three times in a row, they have nearly become unbeatable during these tournaments, and are slowly making themselves into a full-time member. Captain Gerhard Erasmus led this side once again and continued providing that leadership, plus the fun-loving energy he is known for.
Meanwhile, Nigeria was absolutely dominated in this match from start to finish and looked like they were completely outclassed at almost every position. Seeing that this group has now gone down to 1-1, they still have a chance to rewrite the ship after a strong performance, but will have to get back on a positive note first.
With Kenya left on their schedule, that now becomes a must-win for them in order to ensure a spot in the semi-finals and finally become close to their first-ever major tournament. In a nation where cricket has been growing heavily amongst men and women, captain Sylvester Okpe has been someone they look up to due to his great command and development of his team.
Namibia: Another High-Scoring Innings Created By Other Batsmen From The First Match
Looking at Namibia’s innings, this was another match where they got big knocks from different batsmen, which helped them put a lot of runs on the board with ease. Having scored 235 for just the loss of 6 wickets, opener Malan Kruger started with 11 runs on 11 deliveries before getting caught out.
Although his innings was very short-lived, he had already provided the threat that Namibia were going to bring today, with Jan Frylinck hitting another century opposite of him. As he is slowly turning into one of the best batsmen from the left side, this was someone who put together a 130-run partnership with Louren Steenkamp and was able to score 134 in just 65 deliveries.
Hitting 15 wonderful fours, the real advantage of his game was moving all around the crease to go for big shots and connect meters away. Looking to build on this performance once again, their one-down batsmen in Steenkamp also hit a wonderful half-century and was really patient during the innings.
Only facing 27 deliveries, he still got to 51 runs while hitting 6 combined boundaries and staying in until a little after captain Gerhard Erasmus got out. With Namibia being 208/6 after both JJ Smit and Ruben Trumpelmann were taken out in quick succession, Zane Green came in to deliver 15 runs, while hitting one of his biggest maximums ever.
Nigeria: Bowlers Had A Day To Forget After Getting Taken On Pretty Easily Throughout
Looking at Nigeria’s bowling attack, they weren’t able to create any real wicket-taking threat like the first match, and kept getting caught in their weaknesses again. With Peter Aho bowling three overs in this match, he was quite expensive allowing almost 14 runs an over. Not finding the center of the stumps at all, it felt like his fast-bowling abilities from the right side were not on queue at all.
Right-handed handed-meduim pacer Isaac Okpe had his full quota of overs as well, but he allowed 46 runs and took two wickets at times when Nigeria’s main threats were gone or hadn’t started yet. Chiemelle Udekewe also had a very tough afternoon in his two limited overs, as the part-timer gave up 12 an over, while being absolutely dispatched.
With Vincent Adewoye only getting one over too, it led to 21 runs, and he wasn’t given a chance again since he didn’t seem to hit his line or length at all. With their two spinners in Ridwan Abdulkareem, 14.33 economy, and Sylvester Okpe, being quite expensive too, there was not much turn on deliveries from either of them.
Missing out on the correct angles to bowl at the legs, it felt like batsmen got their deliveries right in the slot. The only real piece that showed up for Nigeria was Isaac Danladi, as the left-handed orthodox bowler created a very different style of bowling, which helped remove 4 batsmen while also just going for under a 7.5 economy.
Nigeria: Batting Lineup Had Zero Output In This Match During A Massive Run Chase
With Nigeria having a tough day creating pressure with the bat, it was quite a tough sight to see, as it felt like they were completely getting dominated. Opener Sulaimon Runsewe, 28-run knock, was a positive sign for this squad as he hit three fours, but wickets kept falling around him pretty quickly.
As Selim Salau, 2 runs on 5 deliveries, really struggled to break out after facing a few deliveries in the slot, losing both Joseph Adedeji and Isaac Danladi right after, caused an even bigger problem. With Runsewe falling right after him, they were 57/4 at that moment and really needed to rely on Sylvester Okpe to create anything special in this match.
As Okpe did score 24 runs in his 22 balls, this was someone who hit three fours and was trying to command a strong partnership. Knowing that Vincent Adewoye also got out on just two deliveries, one of the last big duos in this match was between Sylvester and his brother, Isaac Okpe.
One that lasted 17 runs, Isaac was able to score 12, and also create two boundaries on opposite directions. As both were removed, including Ridwan Abdulkareem, their last big duo was between Peter Aho plus Chiemelle Udewele to get towards 118 runs. As Aho hit one six and a great four, his partner also hit one and tried to make the score as strong as it could be from then on.
Namibia: Strong Bowling Attack Showed Their Prowess Once Again
Namibia’s bowling pieces showed a great ability to attack the stumps and show their wicket-taking ability once again. With Ben Shikongo, one wicket alongside 16 runs allowed during just 3.0 overs, being their key right-handed pacer, he was able to swing the ball and create a great threat.
With Bernard Scholtz, two wickets, having an economy well under 6, he was another great fast-bowling option that managed to perform great under pressure. Knowing that Jan-Izak de Villiers had one maiden over in his full four, he allowed 19 during his four and have allowed less than five runs in each over. Lastly, Nicol Loftie-Eaton had three wickets and made a major impact with his ability to be accurate.
Also Read: Â ICC Africa T20 WC Qualifiers: Can Botswana Finally Make A Run After Showing Potential?