Abu Dhabi, Oct 20: In a sensational display of power-hitting, David Wiese conjured up a 66-run knock to fashion Namibia’s six-wicket win over the Netherlands in a crucial first round Group A game of the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday.
Wiese’s maiden international half-century changed the pace of the game in matter of minutes as runs flew thick and fast after he took charge at the crease and in the process added 93 runs with skipper Gerhard Erasmus (32) for the fourth wicket.
Chasing 165 to stay alive in the competition, debutants Namibia were stuttering at 52 for three after nine overs but Wiese single-handedly sank the Dutch side.
His onslaught on the spinners, especially the monstrous straight sixes, was a treat to watch as the Dutch bowlers were guilty of putting the balls in the slot for Wiese to clobber.
He raised his fifty in just 29 balls, with a six off rival skipper Pietar Seelar. His 40-ball unbeaten knock was adorned with five sixes and four shots to the fence.
Erasmus too timed the ball beautifully and got boundaries with ease in his 22-ball knock that had four fours and a six.
The victory has kept Namibia in the hunt for the Super-12 stage and now need to beat Ireland in their final game in the first round. They had lost to Sri Lanka in their opening match.
The Netherlands have now lost both their games and their chances to make it to the next stage are quite low.
Earlier, opener Max O’Dowd (70) struck his second consecutive half-century and shared a 82-run stand with Colin Ackermann (35) to help the Netherlands post a competitive 164 for four.
O’Dowd, who had hit 51 against Ireland in the previous match, expressed himself freely, going after the bowlers. O’Dowd completed his fifty with an inside-out boundary off the bowling of spinner Bernard Scholtz in the cover region. (PTI)
