Namibia secured a big seven-wicket victory over Zimbabwe after restricting them to only 132 for 8 at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek. This win was crucial for Namibia as performances in this tournament determine the top two teams that will advance to the T20 World Cup in 2024.
Zimbabwe’s coach, Houghton, expressed disappointment in his team’s performance, calling it “awful” and “embarrassingly bad.” He was particularly critical of their poor batting, bowling, and fielding throughout the game.
Zimbabwe had difficulty with their batting, finding themselves at 18 for 3 early on before Craig Ervine and captain Sikandar Raza provided some resistance. Namibia’s bowlers, JJ Smit and Tangeni Lungameni, proved to be formidable, taking wickets and limiting Zimbabwe to their final total of 132.
Namibia’s explosive start with openers Michael van Lingen and Nikolaas Davin set the tone for the game, as they added 88 runs in just 48 balls. This strong start made the rest of the game merely a formality.
Houghton emphasized the need for Zimbabwe to bounce back from this defeat and recognized the importance of winning their next games to secure qualification.
The other teams in the Qualifier include Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania, who will all compete in a round-robin format for a chance to make it to the Men’s T20 World Cup.
