Green inspires Namibia to shock four-wicket victory against SA

Zane Green was Namibia’s hero as the minnows beat South Africa by four wickets in a last-ball thriller in their one-off T20 International at the recently completed Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek on Saturday.

A brilliant all-round bowling and fielding performance from the home side restricted South Africa to a distinctly modest total of 134 for eight before wicketkeeper Green held his nerve with an excellent, unbeaten 30 from 23 balls to win the first match ever played between the teams.

At 112 for six and 23 runs required from the last two overs, boundaries were needed and Green delivered with a sumptuous off drive against Lizaad Williams, who conceded 12 from the 19th over, leaving 11 needed from the last.

Andile Simelane bowled the first ball short to the left-handed Green, who stepped brilliantly inside the line and helped the delivery over fine leg for a remarkable six, just the third of the match. Fast bowler Ruben Trumpelmann slapped the third ball for two before taking a single off the fourth to tie the scores.

The drama wasn’t over as Green missed the fifth, but Namibia were not to be denied their moment of glory as Simelane’s full-toss was pulled to the midwicket boundary, sending the 5000-strong crowd into wild scenes of celebration – not to mention the Namibian players.

Earlier, South Africa failed to adapt to a slow and awkward surface on which their attempts to force the pace and muscle the ball to the boundary led to a procession of wickets, giving the hosts an excellent chance of victory, which they duly took – just.

Openers Jan Frylinck (7) and Louren Steenkamp (13) were bowled by full-length deliveries from Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee, while Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton was well caught in the deep by Lizaad Williams off all-rounder Andile Simelane.

When captain Gerhard Erasmus chipped a low return catch to Bjorn Fortuin (1-28), the hosts were 67 for four after 10 overs and in a similar predicament to the Proteas, who reached the halfway point of their innings at 63 for three.

But Namibia still needed just a run-a-ball until JJ Smit (13) pulled Simelane (2-28) to Jason Smith at deep square leg to put the pressure on the lower order. Malan Kruger (18) drove Fortuin for just the second six of the match to bring the equation down to 36 runs from the final four overs, but he sliced a similar shot against Burger to mid off, and hopes faded at 101 for six with 21 balls remaining.

BOWLING BRILLIANCE

Quinton de Kock, in his first game for the Proteas since the T20 World Cup final against India in Barbados last June, spliced the final ball of the first over from Erasmus to midwicket, having scored just a single.

Reeza Hendricks (7) and Rubin Hermann (23 from 18 balls) were both caught at deep square leg, mistiming pull shots against tall, left-arm fast bowler Ruben Trumpelmann, who was outstanding for the home side with figures of 3-28 from his four overs.

Lhuan-dre Pretorius became the fourth man dismissed playing a hook or pull shot with a thin edge against seamer Max Heingo, departing for an uncharacteristically sluggish, run-a-ball 22. Captain Donovan Ferreira, remarkably, became the fifth man to perish to the shot, holing out to deep midwicket against Heingo to depart for just four.

Andile Simelane edged and pulled consecutive fours before slicing a drive against Ben Shikongo (3-0-23-1) to Erasmus as wide long-off, forcing Jason Smith and Bjorn Fortuin to bat through a few quiet overs at 82 for six after just 12.4 overs.

When Smith did eventually attempt to accelerate with just 10 deliveries remaining in the innings, he could only loft Trumpelmann straight to long off, where JJ Smit held a straightforward catch to dismiss the batsman for 31 from 30 balls with just two fours.

Fortuin, too, was never able to accelerate, finishing with an unbeaten 19 from 21 balls without a single boundary, while Gerald Coetzee (12) slapped a couple of fours from six deliveries to at least push the total beyond 130.

Left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz didn’t take a wicket, but his 4-0-16-0 was instrumental in applying the team handbrake to South Africa’s innings.

South Africa’s defeat was compounded by a pectoral injury to Coetzee, who was forced to leave the field after bowling just nine balls.

NAMIBIA: Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (captain ), JJ Smit, Malan Kruger, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green (wkt), Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, Max Heingo

SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wkt), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann, Jason Smith, Donovan Ferreira (captain), Andile Simelane, Bjorn Fortuin, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams