With the first semi-final officially completed, Namibia and Tanzania had a one-sided affair, with one side gaining a lot of promise from analysts and fans alike. Seeing that it was the Namibia Eagles who ended up cruising by a 60+ run victory, this another T20I World Cup they have qualified for and will be more than confident to make a deep run.
One group that has continued having some of the most complete performances of any side in these African Qualifiers, they always looked destined to make it, with now it actually being a reality. Captain Gerhard Erasmus really stood up for this side in every situation and is a major factor for most of their recent success due to impactful leadership.
On the other side, a group in Tanzania that hoped they would make it far have once again not been able to qualify. Looking at this unit, they did do a tremendous job of making it this far in the Qualifiers, but not getting it done will hurt them even more. What had looked like a very promising start for this side as they began 2-0, it no longer mattered after their recent two matchups against top teams ended up going very sideways, and made them lose a lot of their former play style.
With them not officially out and either going to finish in 3rd or 4th place, this was a great effort by captain Kassim Nassoro, who definitely has this side trending up for next time.
Namibia: One Of Their Lower Scoring Innings But Still Managed To Give Them A Big Boost
Although Namibia were put in for batting first, their performance today came down a little bit to earth after smashing two 200+ scores in a row. After scoring just over 170 today, opener Malan Kruger got off to a fiery start despite losing his partner in Jan Frylinck, within the first over.
As they were already under a bit of pressure at 10/1, Nicol Loftie-Eaton came in to create a near 30-run partnership with Kruger. Seeing that the opener went for 28 runs on just 15 deliveries, while hitting one massive six and some great looking fours, he was finally removed within the first four overs at 39/2. With Louren Steenkamp having a performance to forget as well, Namibia had found themselves in a very tough spot of 41/4 after Nicol Loftie-Eaton got caught.
Then came the big partnership with captain Gerhard Erasmus and JJ Smit as they combined for 88 runs, while completely changing the match on their side. Seeing that Erasmus got to another half-century, he scored a 55 knock, while mixing in some wonderful fours as well, plus striking at over 130.
Known for his ability to ease tensions, he was doing a tremendous job before getting caught in the deep, while JJ Smit kept going even when Ruben Trumpelmann was gone. Carrying the other side, he scored 61 runs on 43 balls and had also created a nice 45-run combination with Zane Green to end the end innings, with Namibia finishing at 174/6.
Tanzania: A Bowling Day That Had Both Bright And Rough Performances
Looking at Tanzania’s bowling attack, there were many mixed reviews in today’s bowlers efforts as they showed promise, but also were getting handled pretty easily. Main pacer Khaliday Amari Juma did pick up two wickets today, while on giving up 7.25 runs an over, and was able to bowl a full quota, which loomed large for this side.
Someone who has always been credited for his consistent ability to the same length, it was shown today as he was part of the reason Namibia dealt with early issues. Medium pacer Salum Jumbe really understood how to switch up speed on his deliveries as well, since the big-time fast bowler was able to really confuse batsmen in tough situations.
Allowing just 26 runs during four overs, he also had a wicket of his own and showed fire when it was required. Sivaraj Selvraj was once again very economical at a 6.00 runs per over rate, while he became a factor during the middle overs, alongside these two other big-time pacers.
On the struggling side, Laksh Bakrania had a real performance to forget after he went for a 9 economy and was getting smacked when he delivered the ball short, while not producing any wicket-taking threat in almost three overs. Although Ally Kimote did pick up two wickets today, he also was allowing well over 10 runs in every over, while K A Ajith tried rounding it out but was very expensive, too.
Tanzania: Couldn’t Cross The Required Run Chase Once Again And Batting Looked Weak
For Tanzania, this was the 2nd straight time where their batting lineup couldn’t cross the required runs and had a unit that looked weak once again. Opener Arun Yadav was able to score 17 runs, but it took him 19 deliveries in the power play, and after only hitting two boundaries, he became the first big piece to be gone.
Someone who had continued trying to re-create his approach against top teams, it didn’t work this time around, which may require change later on. After losing him, Dhrumit Metha followed in just two balls, and then it just became about who Abhik Patwa could create a combination with. Scoring 31 runs himself this match, he was able to create a solid 30-run duo with K A Ajith, before Patwa got caught after hitting three clean fours, plus a massive six.
After them being 70/4 at the moment, Mukesh Suthar was trying to make a lasting impact so they wouldn’t completely fall out of this match. Scoring 24 runs, he hit two fours and a six, while helping this side reach 95 with Amal Rajeevan. In a partnership that lasted for 25 runs, Suthar did strike at a 120 rate and was looking like making the game more favorable towards Tanzania, but losing him really hurt all their chances.
As Ally Kimote and Salum Jumbe followed with quick innings, it almost become too late, and this side didn’t have enough batsmen to help them overtake the match, which they ended up finishing at 111/8 in their full 20 overs.
Namibia: Bowlers Had Another Fantastic Day At The Office
Namibia’s bowling attack was once again on fire and provided a lot of for this side at the exact right time. With Bernard Scholtz having bowled four overs with an economy that was around 6, he was very impactful because of some deliveries that were not even in the range of hitting.
Someone who will continue being big later on, he created a nice combination with JJ Smit, who got three wickets as a pacer, while Ben Shikongo added three more from the right side with just allowing 5.25 runs per over. Closing it out, captain Gerhard Erasmus had two key overs of spin in which he just conceded 14, while Nicol Loftie-Eaton also got one wicket in his single over.
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