With the third match of this tri-series officially over, it was by far the most exciting one yet, with both sides having scored a ton of runs and making it extremely competitive. For Zimbabwe, it was a more-than-important victory as they got themselves back into the picture and showed that their class remained the same as earlier this year. A group that was questioned several times during this matchup, they kept fighting until the very end, when they could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing that they have South Africa now tomorrow, captain Sikandar Raza’s leadership in this match gives them a boatload of confidence for what lies ahead.
Meanwhile, Namibia showed true strength as well, since they are an ascending nation that now seems to be able to be competitive and win against these bigger nations. After the upset they pulled off a couple of days back, they were about to continue building on their winning record against Zimbabwe in this format. Seeing that this is one of the host nations for next year’s World Cup, the crowd was definitely a huge factor and will keep this unit riding the high. Despite today’s efforts being a loss, their efforts are what mattered most, as chasing down is not a very easy thing, and the amount they had to make it even more difficult. Leader Gerhard Erasmus was showcasing his ability to not shy away, even though he didn’t perform, and still have the same charisma.
Zimbabwe: Batting Unit Put A Huge Load On The Board To Start
When talking about the Chevrons’ batting lineup, they really put together a great effort in order to make it a challenge for the opposition on these pitches. With opener Brian Bennett once again being the classy player that he is, this young star created a great 64-run partnership with Ben Curran on the other side. A day after they had a 40+ one, these two got going once again and made it nearly impossible for the bowlers to remove them in the early overs, with Bennett scoring 32 plus 6 boundaries before departing at the end of the powerplay.
Meanwhile, Curran was going a little more aggressively and smashed two sixes, while sticking in there when Dion Myers and Sikandar Raza both got out. There seemed to be problems for Zimbabwe once Curran got removed for 38 because even Madhevere fell after him, but that was when Ryan Burl finished in style once again. One of the most consistent down-the-order batsmen in the world, he created an amazing combination with Brad Evans as they were able to get started at 101/6 post Tadiwanashe Murumani’s wicket.
With Ryan Burl having been destructive from the left-end and hitting 57 runs off just 32 balls, Evans was a key figure in the partnership as well since he smashed two sixes and finished a masterclass knock of 37 runs. Hitting two top-class fours as well, this duo helped Zimbabwe reach 195/6 in 20 overs.
Namibia: Bowling Looked Completely Lost In This Situation
This was not a great day for Namibia’s bowling because they seemed to lose control of where the ball was going and sometimes called on the wrong bowlers under pressure. Max Heingo was once again their main pacer from the right end, and he was the only player with a low economy at just 6.25. But, Jack Brassell was having a tough time today, finding his line as he gave up almost 9.5 runs an over and couldn’t even consistently be called upon since batters were feeding off his deliveries.
Meanwhile, JJ Smit was not very good from the left-end either, as he just finished with two overs today and was also leaking tons of boundaries, while giving 13.5 runs an over. Talking about left-hand fast bowlers, Ruben Trumpelmann was in a similar position as he felt very uncomfortable towards the end and was struggling to create any type of speed that would whip past the batter. Someone whose known for at least getting a wicket or two, he showed no signs of that and also provided a 9.50 economy.
When we bring up the spinners, Bernard Scholtz was actually pretty decent as an orthodox option, as he did get a big wicket and didn’t give up many boundaries. Closing it out, the captain wasn’t a bad option for someone who can turn the ball either, because he also took three wickets, even though he did get smacked more.
Namibia: A Late Turnaround Changed Their Batting Performance
Similar to Zimbabwe, this Namibia squad had a very slow start to the batting until a key partnership changed the complexion of everything. Starting batsman Louren Steenkamp had hit just one boundary before getting removed, while his opposite partner, Jan Frylinck, was much more decent at that position. With him creating another 14-run partnership before captain Gerhard Erasmus also got removed for 12 runs and two fours, the combination alongside Jan Nicol-Loftie-Eaton changed everything.
As Frylinck was going much slower for a T20I pace where his strike rate was well over 100, Loftie-Eaton accelerated by hitting three fours, while making sure Namibia weren’t too far behind. Seeing that he departed for 20 runs off 13 balls, JJ Smit also got out quickly before Frylinck was finally removed at 68/5 with Namibia in a world of trouble.
The hole got even bigger with Ruben Trumeplmann out, but this was the moment when everything changed as “Mr Clutch” for Namibia, Zane Green, helped develop an amazing partnership with Alexander Busing-Volschenck. With this combination going for 110 runs, Green scored 7 fours and smacked two massive sixes, while Volschenck was able to deliver four big blows too. Getting to 186, this is when the game turned again after Zane Green got out, but it had another twist after Volschenck hit a four. Requiring 6 off 3, everyone had their hopes on Namibia pulling it off, but Brad Evans became the hero and removed three batsmen in a row.
Zimbabwe: Late Game Heroics Saved Them From Disaster
For the Chevrons, it was clear that the ending moments changed their trajectory of how they were bowling and made a huge difference in the win. Star piece Blessing Muzarabani was a bit expensive today as he gave up 39 runs and just picked up one wicket, but this was mostly when the late match surge was going on.
Meanwhile Newman Nyamhuri was stuck at a similar position from the left end since he gave up over 9 an over and did a lot of similar bowling. Today was the main day for spinners as Brian Bennett took two wickets in his only over and Sikandar was vital throughout his four, including the wicket. Seeing this is how they performed and were one of the biggest stories today, the biggest was right-handed pacer Brad Evans, as he saved this Zimbabwe team from nothing at the end with three wickets and allowed less than 10 runs in that final over.
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