108/10 (19.0)
CR : 5.68
163/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.15
Namibia won by 55 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Jan Frylinck
2/2644(28)
Over 19
Sri Lanka 108/10
Maheesh Theekshana11(11)
David Wiese2-16(4.0)
What a way to start the World Cup. Sri Lanka has been thrashed by Namibia and throws the tournament wide open.
NAM won by 55 runs
David Wiese completes 250 T20 wickets.
Exceptional performance in all facets of the game has helped Namibia upset Sri Lanka by 55 runs and has thrown a spanner in the worms. Right, from the last five overs of the first innings, they have dominated the Lankans throughout the game.
Chasing a stiff target of 164 for the win, Sri Lanka never looked settled and were under the pump. They lost their top-order batters very quickly to be reduced to 40/4 and then 74/5 and the game was as good as over. Rajapaksa chipped in with 20 while the skipper Dasun Shanaka counterattacked with 29 off 23 balls. Dhananjaya de Silva got into double figures scoring 12 runs. Theekshana remained unbeaten on 11 off 11 balls as Sri Lanka were shut out for 108 in 19 overs.
David Wiese picked up the last wicket off the innings and he finished it with 2/16 in 4 overs. Bernard Scholtz picked up a couple of wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs. Shikongo picked up a couple of wickets as well as his two wickets in two balls turned the tide. Jan Frylinck chipped in with a couple of wickets as well to go along with a superb batting performance early on. Only 4 extras were given away by them as they bowled out Sri Lanka for 108 in 19 overs.
Earlier in the game, Namibia also lost early wickets in the powerplay. Loftie-Eaton scored 20 off 12 balls and Baard scored 26 off 24 balls. Gerhard Erasmus scored 20 off 24 balls as the skipper tried to change the momentum. They were struggling at 93/6 at one stage. But it was an amazing 7th wicket partnership between Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit that turned the game on its head.
They scored 68 runs off the last five overs and took Namibia from a hopeless situation to a competitive score. Jane Frylinck was the last man to be run out for 44 off 28 balls while JJ Smit remained unbeaten on 31* off 16 balls. Namibia got help from Sri Lanka in the form of 10 extras to finish with 163/7 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka had it under control for the first 10-15 overs but lost their control in the last five overs with the ball. Maheesh Theekshana was economical in his 1/23 in 4 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga kept it tight with his 1/27 in 4 overs. Pramod Madushan picked up a couple of wickets but went the distance and so did his fellow pacers Dushmantha Chameera and Chamika Karunaratne. Chameera and Karunaratne got a wicket each but not before giving away too many runs. They lost the plot here and then totally with the bat to go down heavily.
So, a win for Namibia by 55 runs to start the tournament on a high. Stick around for the post-match presentation ceremony that comes your way soon.
Chasing a stiff target of 164 for the win, Sri Lanka never looked settled and were under the pump. They lost their top-order batters very quickly to be reduced to 40/4 and then 74/5 and the game was as good as over. Rajapaksa chipped in with 20 while the skipper Dasun Shanaka counterattacked with 29 off 23 balls. Dhananjaya de Silva got into double figures scoring 12 runs. Theekshana remained unbeaten on 11 off 11 balls as Sri Lanka were shut out for 108 in 19 overs.
David Wiese picked up the last wicket off the innings and he finished it with 2/16 in 4 overs. Bernard Scholtz picked up a couple of wickets for 18 runs in 4 overs. Shikongo picked up a couple of wickets as well as his two wickets in two balls turned the tide. Jan Frylinck chipped in with a couple of wickets as well to go along with a superb batting performance early on. Only 4 extras were given away by them as they bowled out Sri Lanka for 108 in 19 overs.
Earlier in the game, Namibia also lost early wickets in the powerplay. Loftie-Eaton scored 20 off 12 balls and Baard scored 26 off 24 balls. Gerhard Erasmus scored 20 off 24 balls as the skipper tried to change the momentum. They were struggling at 93/6 at one stage. But it was an amazing 7th wicket partnership between Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit that turned the game on its head.
They scored 68 runs off the last five overs and took Namibia from a hopeless situation to a competitive score. Jane Frylinck was the last man to be run out for 44 off 28 balls while JJ Smit remained unbeaten on 31* off 16 balls. Namibia got help from Sri Lanka in the form of 10 extras to finish with 163/7 in 20 overs.
Sri Lanka had it under control for the first 10-15 overs but lost their control in the last five overs with the ball. Maheesh Theekshana was economical in his 1/23 in 4 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga kept it tight with his 1/27 in 4 overs. Pramod Madushan picked up a couple of wickets but went the distance and so did his fellow pacers Dushmantha Chameera and Chamika Karunaratne. Chameera and Karunaratne got a wicket each but not before giving away too many runs. They lost the plot here and then totally with the bat to go down heavily.
So, a win for Namibia by 55 runs to start the tournament on a high. Stick around for the post-match presentation ceremony that comes your way soon.
Biggest wins by runs for an Associate team vs a Full member team in T20Is
81 runs Afg vs Zim Sharjah 2016
59 runs Afg vs Zim Nagpur 2016
55 runs Nam vs SL Geelong 2022 *
54 runs UAE vs Ire Dubai 2021
Jan Frylinck | Player of the Match: "Thank you. I am a little bit speechless at the moment. I didn't think that we could achieve this. I mean, JJ (Smit) came and took the pressure off me. He scored a few boundaries and helped me to get settled. They bowled well. Good lengths are hard to get away from. Just that I was spot on with the lines and lengths. We were good throughout and done well."
Dasun Shanaka | Sri Lanka Captain: "I think the surface played really well. I think the execution wasn't there for us. They bowled well. We lost too many wickets in the powerplay as we lost three of them. Once we lost those wickets in the powerplay, it was always a difficult task. The task is to keep the same game plan going. Making them simple and executing them. We weren't at our best, and that's why we lost."
Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia Captain): "It's been an incredible journey. Last year was amazing and then to get this win is great. But a lot of work to do as we go forward and go further in this tournament. Yes, Albie has turned it around as he has instilled the winning culture. A lot of hard work goes behind the scenes and the way we have done it in this game has been amazing and credit to everyone out there. "
That's it from this game which has thrown the tournament wide open. Namibia's 55-run win over Sri Lanka will send a message that anything can happen in this year's T20 World Cup. Do switch tabs to watch the second game of the day between UAE and Netherlands. Until next time, this is Ayan Chatterjee signing off on behalf of my esteemed co-commentator Akshaya Krishna Polya, alongside scorer/analyst Paras Yadav. Stay safe, happy, and cool. Until next time, GOODBYE AND CHEERS!