217/3 (20.0)
CR : 10.85
228/4 (20.0)
CR : 11.40
South Africa won by 11 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
L Pretorius
101(53)
Highest Match Aggregates Involving Namibia in T20Is:
450 Runs, Namibia vs UAE, Windhoek, 2024
445 Runs, Namibia vs South Africa, Windhoek, 2026, Today*
435 Runs, Namibia vs Netherlands, Kirtipur, 2024
450 Runs, Namibia vs UAE, Windhoek, 2024
445 Runs, Namibia vs South Africa, Windhoek, 2026, Today*
435 Runs, Namibia vs Netherlands, Kirtipur, 2024
9:10 PM IST & 5:40 PM Local Time: Time for the Post-Match Presentation!
Player of the Match: Lhuan-dre Pretorius
Lhuan-dre Pretorius (Player of the Match): "(On scoring a hundred which ended up on a winning cause) Yeah, it feels pretty good. We needed this victory moving into Sunday. Before this game we said that we want to take it game by game and we took it today. We knew that the rest will take care of itself. Now, we will look forward to Sunday. Talking about the Hundred, Connor made it a lot easier for me at the start and when he lost his wicket, I could just take charge and take things under control. I tried to capitalize where I can and fortunately it worked out.
(How much will this form mean to him moving into the Final) Yeah, as I said, T20 cricket is a game of fine margins. When you are in form, you have to take it and take it for as long as you can. In this format, things can change very quickly.
(Did he speak to Heinrich Klaasen today before the game?) No, I didn't but I just saw that he sent me a message. I didn't speak to him today but I came with the same approach of trying to get to that 15-ball mark and I knew that the rest will take care of itself."
(How much will this form mean to him moving into the Final) Yeah, as I said, T20 cricket is a game of fine margins. When you are in form, you have to take it and take it for as long as you can. In this format, things can change very quickly.
(Did he speak to Heinrich Klaasen today before the game?) No, I didn't but I just saw that he sent me a message. I didn't speak to him today but I came with the same approach of trying to get to that 15-ball mark and I knew that the rest will take care of itself."
Gerhard Erasmus (Namibia Captain): "[On the close finish] I think awesome game of cricket. To give that to the public was amazing. Overall, it came down to boundaries today. I’m not sure what the exact stats say, we might have even outscored them overall, but it felt like we leaked too many soft boundaries. Then, towards the back end of our innings, we couldn't quite match their finishing boundary count. It was a complete pendulum swing back and forth.
[On the moment where the game shifted away from them] Probably after that powerplay period. That's usually the phase of the game where you need to slow things down with the ball, but we didn't manage to pull that back until around the 14th or 15th over. On the flip side, our openers were fantastic, they set up a great foundation and gave us a real shot, but unfortunately, we just couldn't quite finish it off at the end.
[A message to the Namibian fans who came out in support today] It has been an absolute honor to represent them and serve them with good cricket. We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who came out to support us. Moving forward, we hope to see these crowds return throughout the year, whether we’re playing against the Proteas or competing in crucial WCL (World Cricket League) fixtures. Our main goal is to continue building a brand of cricket that the nation can be genuinely proud of and excited to watch."
[On the moment where the game shifted away from them] Probably after that powerplay period. That's usually the phase of the game where you need to slow things down with the ball, but we didn't manage to pull that back until around the 14th or 15th over. On the flip side, our openers were fantastic, they set up a great foundation and gave us a real shot, but unfortunately, we just couldn't quite finish it off at the end.
[A message to the Namibian fans who came out in support today] It has been an absolute honor to represent them and serve them with good cricket. We want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who came out to support us. Moving forward, we hope to see these crowds return throughout the year, whether we’re playing against the Proteas or competing in crucial WCL (World Cricket League) fixtures. Our main goal is to continue building a brand of cricket that the nation can be genuinely proud of and excited to watch."
Bjorn Fortuin (South Africa Captain): "(Was this win a relief?) Well, the game got closer than we wanted to be honest. We have learnt to not take anything for granted in this game. A win is a win. We did some good things today but obviously there are things to work on as well going into that last game.
(On the opening partnership between Pretorius & Esterhuizen) Yeah, they batted beautifully. They summed up conditions pretty quickly. Once they laid on the platform for us, we just saw that their natural talent coming through. We have been seeing that from Lhuan-dre in the entire competition but Connor played a nice knock today as well. So, very happy for them.
(Was he worried at any moment during the 2nd Innings?) Ya. There were moments where I was definitely worried but credit to the bowlers. I mean, I asked them to bowl the harder overs. I asked them to bowl with tough plans as well. So, they stood up. Young Moksy (Mokoena) at the end came out beautifully. Kwena & Boschy stood up as well.
(On the Final on Sunday) Yeah, we will take things game by game. Obviously we have got a final coming up but saying that, coming into today's game, we weren't looking too far ahead. We knew today was going to be a massive challenge for us against a good team that had a lot to play for. So, it's nice to get one over them. It's nice to get some positives going into the last game as well."
(On the opening partnership between Pretorius & Esterhuizen) Yeah, they batted beautifully. They summed up conditions pretty quickly. Once they laid on the platform for us, we just saw that their natural talent coming through. We have been seeing that from Lhuan-dre in the entire competition but Connor played a nice knock today as well. So, very happy for them.
(Was he worried at any moment during the 2nd Innings?) Ya. There were moments where I was definitely worried but credit to the bowlers. I mean, I asked them to bowl the harder overs. I asked them to bowl with tough plans as well. So, they stood up. Young Moksy (Mokoena) at the end came out beautifully. Kwena & Boschy stood up as well.
(On the Final on Sunday) Yeah, we will take things game by game. Obviously we have got a final coming up but saying that, coming into today's game, we weren't looking too far ahead. We knew today was going to be a massive challenge for us against a good team that had a lot to play for. So, it's nice to get one over them. It's nice to get some positives going into the last game as well."
Highest Innings Totals for Namibia vs Full Member Nations in T20Is:
217/3 vs South Africa, Windhoek, 2026, Today*
204/7 vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2025
198/3 vs Zimbabwe, Windhoek, 2023
217/3 vs South Africa, Windhoek, 2026, Today*
204/7 vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2025
198/3 vs Zimbabwe, Windhoek, 2023
The crowd at Windhoek was treated to a special contest. South Africa were under the pump coming up against an inspired Namibian side that beat them twice on the bounce previously. At one point in the chase, it felt like they would make it 3/3. However, the Proteas unit stayed solid at the backend and managed to eke out an 11-run win.
A win for South Africa means that Namibia make a painful exit from the Tri-series. With that we have the final two teams. Sunday, 6th September will see Zimbabwe take on South Africa in Tri-series final. Do join us at 4:30 PM IST, 1 PM Local Time as we build up to the clash. Live action shall start at 5:30 PM IST, 2 PM Local Time.
On this note, I, Manan Mehta would like to take your leave on behalf of my colleagues Pritam Dey, Raju Khariya and Aman. Stay Happy. Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. Adios!!!