T20 World Cup, SCO vs NAM as it happened: JJ Smit guides Namibia home for a famous win

Asked to bat first, Scotland finished with 109/8. Namibia score 115/6 in 19.1 overs.

Frame this: Namibia placed ahead of New Zealand and India!

Player of the match: Ruben Trumpelmann

Namibia win by 4 wickets! Smit finishes with a six! Already a dream tournament for them having qualified for Super 12, the newcomers make it a bit more special by defeating Scotland. A memorable evening set up by a sensational first over.

Frylinck hits a full toss straight to midwicket with the scores level. Wheal finishes 19th with a couple of dot balls. Scotland need 4 wickets in the final over or six dot balls.

OUT! Namibia 109/6 (18.4) Well, would you believe it. Frylinck had the chance to be the hero with the bat after a superb bowling spell too. But he hits a full toss straight to midwicket with the scores level.

18.2: Superb from Smit! Carresed past extra cover for four.

7 needed off 12. Surely only winner here?

OUT! Namibia 102/5 (17.4 overs) SIX (DOT) & OUT! Weise smacks one down the ground and then is caught at short third. Leask strikes. The win is in sight for Namibia though.

Namibia 96/4 after 16 overs: Another superb over from Watt, but Namibia see him out.

Watt will bowl out too. Will he have the power to turn this Scotland’s way?

Namibia 93/4 after 16 overs: 8 runs from the over and that is one more step towards win.

15.2: SIX! FULL TOSS AND SMIT SMITES IT! Greaves shakes his head. This might have slipped out for Scotland here. Namibia move on to 91/4.

Greaves on for his final over

Namibia 85/4 after 15 overs (Target 110) Oh dear. Sharif starts his over with a full wide one, Smit puts it away for four past point. And from there it is damage limitation for Scotland. A 10-run over is huge at this point for Namibia.

Sharif comes on. Pace on the ball. Might backfire for Scotland here.

Namibia 75/4 after 14 overs (Target 110) 35 off 36 now. Tidy over by Greaves but Wiese missed out on a short ball that he could have send it into the lawns. Nerves clearly.

All eyes on Wiese. Namibia need 39 off 42, but Scotland know it’s a matter of one wicket here perhaps

OUT! Namibia 67/4 (12.3 overs) ANOTHER ONE! Watt strikes, Williams is stumped down the leg side. Scotland are delighted. Superb take from Cross too, once he gathered it cleanly it was an easy stumping.

OUT! Namibia 61/3 (11.2 overs) Well, well, well. This is still very much in the balance! Leask, the star with the bat, strikes in his first over. Captain Erasmus is bowled and Scotland increase the pressure.

Namibia 56/2 after 10 overs (Target 110): Advantage for Namibia is that the match is still only two big hits from Wiese away from swinging their way decisively. Scotland can’t afford bad overs.

OUT! Namibia 50/2 after 9.1 overs: Breakthrough for Scotland! The match is poised on a knife’s edge with both sides battling hard, and this wicket for Greaves makes things interesting. Green gone, trying to go after the fast wrong ‘un. Finds Munsey. And in walks captain Erasmus.

Namibia 50/1 after 9 overs (Target 110): Another big LBW appeal from Scotland, this time they review. But it pitched outside leg from Watt to Green. The left-arm spinner kept things tight for five balls, but the last one is sent soaring over long on by Williams for six.

The miserly Mark Watt comes on. This is the phase that Scotland will hope goes their way, and they can pile the pressure on.

Namibia 40/1 after 8 overs (Target 110): The scoreboard will tell you Namibia improved their total by 7 runs in that Greaves over but it was anything but easy. Greaves troubles the batters pretty much every ball, a couple of LBW appeals too.

Leg-spin-medium-pace bowler Greaves comes on

Namibia 33/1 after 7 overs (Target 110): A close run out chance, and a direct hit would have done the trick for Scotland! They continue to keep things tight, 4 singles in that Wheal over.

Namibia 29/1 after 6 overs (Target 110): Not as many wickets as SCO would have liked but they have kept things in check in Abu Dhabi. Namibia won’t panic though, given they have Wiese to come later in the piece. Green is the new batter in, not Erasmus.

OUT! Namibia 28/1 (5.3 overs) Sharif provides the breakthrough for Scotland just when it seemed the powerplay will be all Namibia. van Lingen finds the fielder at cover while going for a big shot.

Namibia 26/0 after 5 overs (Target 110): You wait so long for a bus and then two come along. The first boundaries of the innings for Namibia, van Lingen goes back-to-back in Davey’s over

Namibia 16/0 after 4 overs (Target 110): Safyaan Sharif joins the attack and concedes just two singles and a leg-bye in his first over. Van Lingen got lucky in that over – he would’ve been run-out if Scotland had got a direct hit at the non-striker’s end.

Namibia 13/0 after 3 overs (Target 110): Another good over from Wheal, just two runs from it. The right-arm pacer is keeping a tight line and hitting good lengths.

Namibia 11/0 after 2 overs (Target 110): Josh Davey with a tight first over with the new ball from the other end, fine runs come from it. Namibia need 99 off 108.

Namibia 6/0 after 1 over (Target 110): Tidy start from Wheal but not quite Trumpelmann-esque. Four leg byes in that over.

Scotland have a really good bowling unit, and they need to be really good from the word go. Wheal will start off.

Scotland 109/8 after 20 overs: A run out off the final ball, and a boundary-less final over. Namibia started and finished the innings so well!

Wiese to bowl the final over. Scotland haven’t been able to find the boundaries at the end. Greaves 23 (29) has struggled a bit.

Scotland 102/7 after 19 overs: What a great 19th over from Frylinck. A wicket and three runs.

OUT! Scotland 99/7 (18.1 overs): Watt tries to go big, seemed to have made decent connection. But is caught at long on. Frylinck with another wicket.

Scotland 99/6 after 18 overs: Great change of pace from Wiese, just 3 runs in that over.

OUT! Scotland 93/6 (16.2) End of a superb innings. A 27-ball 44 for Michael Leask, as JJ Smit gets a crucial breakthrough for Namibia. Leask went over to the offside and try to heave this over short fine. But Smit kept it nice and straight, timber.

Scotland 92/5 after 16 overs: Ya France comes into the attack and it is another four for Leask that takes him into the 40s. 40-plus in the final 4 overs can give Scotland a good total here.

Scotland 84/5 after 15 overs: Trumpelmann finishes with figures of 4-0-17-3. A good last over too, after conceding a boundary first ball, he keeps it to just six runs.

Scotland 78/5 after 14 overs: Another good over for Scotland as Greaves hits a lovely sweep for four.

Scotland 68/5 after 13 overs: Another six for Leask who has played a little gem! Has moved to 34 off 20 balls, another six in that JJ Smit over.

Not very dissimilar to the situation Scotland found themselves in the match against Bangladesh when Greaves came out to bat.

Scotland 58/5 after 12 overs: Could have been another wicket for Fylinck. Greaves gets a life as the keeper puts down a (tough) catch diving to his right.

OUT! Scotland 57/5 (11.1 overs): An useful partnership is broken and it is the reintroduction of left-arm pace that does the trick. Frylinck gets the wicket of Cross as the opener tried to give himself room and is clean bowled. 19 off 33 for Cross.

Scotland 57/4 after 11 overs: Brilliant from Leask! A 14-run over for Scotland as right-hander cuts loose at the end of the 11th over with a four and six. Has moved to 27 off 17 balls. van Lingen’s military medium went for runs in that over.

Scotland 43/4 after 10 overs: Sure, they are not obligated to have just two players in the outfield after the first six but it feels like Namibia have left Scotland off the hook after the powerplay. A few too many easy singles on offer. Drinks break.

Scotland 39/4 after 9 overs: shot in anger! Wiese drops one short and Leask slaps one through midwicket for four.

Scotland 32/4 after 8 overs: Leask and Cross in the middle now. Good rotation of strike in the last couple of overs bowled by Smit and Scholtz, combination of left-arm pace and spin now.

Scotland 22/4 after 6 overs: Well, that was carnage in the powerplay.

OUT! Scotland: 18/4 (5.3): After a brief (very) recovery for Scotland, David Wiese strikes. Craig Wallace given out LBW, doesn’t bother reviewing.

Scotland 16/3 after 5 overs: Trumpelmann gets a third over on the trot... why not! Scotland get something of a momentum going as Cross gets a streaky four.

Scotland 8/3 after 5 overs: Namibia’s battery of left-arm pacers have been unleashed early on Scotland and they are keeping things well under control. Trumpelmann with a great second over, followed by a tidy opening over for JJ Smit. Wallace and Cross hanging in there.

Scotland 4/3 after 2 overs: Almost a massively unfortunate runout there in that over but Wallace just gets away with the bat getting grounded before going in the air when Erasmus got a direct hit.

WOW.... Namibia are in dreamland!

Trumpelmann is in dreamland!

McLeod is out caught behind, and then stand-in captain Berrington is out LBW. He reviews and it is umpire’s call. Scotland 2/3 in the first over. Both runs off wides.

Scotland 1/0 after 0.1 overs: OUT! Right then, time for the 2nd match today in Abu Dhabi... can Scotland put up an improved batting performance? Oh dear, as we type that... first ball, Namibia strike! Trumpelmann gets the huge wicket of Munsey.

National anthems done. Players are on the field. Knees taken. This could be a great contest between two well-matched sides. Hopefully not an one-sided affair like the match we saw earlier. Cross & Munsey in the middle for Scotland.

07.20 pm: Worth remembering that this is a double-header in Abu Dhabi. Same surface as the one used for England-Bangladesh. A big test coming up for the Scottish batters to make sure they get above par score.

Scotland XI: George Munsey, Matthew Cross (wk), Calum MacLeod, Richie Berrington (c), Craig Wallace, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Brad Wheal.

Namibia XI: Craig Williams, Zane Green (wk), Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, Michael van Lingen, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.

Team news: Just the one change for Scotland (a big one at that) while Namibia are unchanged. Cricket Scotland say: “Wallace comes in for Coetzer, who is rested with a finger injury sustained earlier in the tournament”

TOSS: Namibia win the toss opt to bowl, Scotland are without their skipper Kyle Coetzer for this one. Richie Berrington is leading the side tonight.

T20 World Cup: Jason Roy powers England to 8-wicket win against Bangladesh

06.50 pm: Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Namibia vs Scotland in a Group 2 Super 12 encounter to be played in Abu Dhabi. There is perhaps not too much riding on this match for the business end of the tournament but these are the two teams that impressed the most in Round 1 and would each dearly love to win this one so that they can have points on board to show for their Super 12 appearance, that actually has significant long term impact for them.

Bangladesh, Namibia, Scotland and Sri Lanka had confirmed their place at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia, after the four teams progressed to the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Oman and the UAE.

Namibia, the story of Round 1 have qualified for the Super 12s in their first ever T20 World Cup and will now return for the Australia event in 12 months time. They are joined by Bangladesh, Scotland and Sri Lanka confirming 12 out of the 16 spots for the World Cup.

TOn

(With ICC, AFP and ESPNCricinfo Statsguru inputs)