Staff Reporter
NAMIBIAN Eagles will have to rise to a Scottish challenge at the T20 World Cup after earlier in the week pulling a rabbit out of their hat in their first official clash against Oman in Barbados. After tying the match at 109 runs after the 20 allotted overs, the Super Over decided the match.
David Wiese and Gerhard Erasmus made the most of Bilal Khan’s pace and hit four boundaries to take 21 runs off Namibia’s allotted Super Over. After smashing 13 of the 21 runs off 4 balls in the Super Over with the bat, Wiese starred with the ball for the Eagles, allowing just 10 runs while picking up the wicket of big-hitting Naseem Khushi.
This, however, is only a precursor to more turbulence on the horizon, as Namibia’s next match on the 6th of June sees them taking on Scotland in Match 12 of the tournament at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados at 9 in the evening local time. Namibia and Scotland have played 8 games since 2019. Among them, Namibia won 3 games while Scotland won 5. Counting the last 5 games, Namibia won 3 with 2 losses.
This looks like a hurdle that could be crossed, but the stormfront gets even darker as the third match sees the Eagles circling the Barbados pitches for the encounter against the Mighty Australia. Australia is ranked 2nd in the world just behind India, making this a big ask for the Eagles, especially after losing by 7 wickets against the same team just a week ago. Game 24 of the T20 World Cup takes place on Wednesday, the 12th of June, a mere 3 days later. The Eagles swoop down on the English team on the 15th of June for their 4th and final group match of the tournament. England, rated 3rd in the world, will go into the match with confidence.
Although the Namibian Eagles are soaring into stiff headwinds during only their third T20 World Cup, the status of cricket and their achievements during the past four years are definitely being felt in the Land of the Brave. Favourable winds are now blowing for the development of the game at home. Their previous appearances include the 2021 and 2022 events co-hosted by the UAE and Oman and Australia.
