Scotland produced a stunning run chase to beat Namibia by five wickets in the T20 World Cup 2024. Returning to the Kensington Oval after their washout against England, they achieved a target of 156 with nine balls to spare, registering their first T20I victory over Namibia at the fourth attempt. This victory marked a significant milestone for Scotland, enhancing their prospects in the tournament.

Gerhard Erasmus shines for Namibia amid early setbacks

Namibia’s innings began on a shaky note with JP Kotze falling for a duck, caught off Brad Wheal’s bowling in the very first over. Despite this early setback, Nikolaas Davin injected some momentum into the innings with a brisk 20 off 12 balls, laced with four boundaries. However, his dismissal, caught by Brad Currie off Chris Sole, triggered a mini-collapse. Jan Frylinck and Malan Kruger failed to stabilize the innings, with Frylinck bowled by Currie for 12 and Kruger dismissed cheaply for 2, by Chris Greaves.

Captain Gerhard Erasmus played a captain’s knock, scoring a magnificent 52 off 31 deliveries. His innings, punctuated with five boundaries and two sixes, provided much-needed stability and momentum. Zane Green contributed with a steady 28 off 27 balls, while late contributions from David Wiese (14) and JJ Smit (11) added valuable runs towards the end. Namibia concluded their innings at 155/9.

Brad Wheal and Brad Currie lead the attack

Scotland’s bowlers delivered a mixed performance, with Wheal emerging as the standout performer, claiming 3 wickets for 33 runs in his four overs. His disciplined bowling, coupled with crucial breakthroughs at critical junctures, played a pivotal role in restricting Namibia. Currie was equally impressive, conceding just 16 runs in his four-over spell and picking up 2 vital wickets. Sole, Greaves and Michael Leask chipped in with a wicket each.

Also READ: Top 10 highest powerplay scores in the T20 World cup history

Scotland’s chase: Richie Berrington and Michael Leask lead the way

Chasing 156, Scotland’s innings got off to a cautious start. George Munsey struggled and was dismissed for 7, caught by Wiese off Tangeni Lungameni. Michael Jones contributed a steady 26 off 20 balls, and Brandon McMullen added 19 off 17 deliveries, trying to build a platform for the chase. Nevertheless, the turning point came with the entry of skipper Richie Berrington, who anchored the innings with a composed and unbeaten 47 off 35 deliveries. His knock, featuring two boundaries and two sixes, ensured Scotland remained in contention.

Matthew Cross contributed a modest 3 runs before falling lbw to Bernard Scholtz, adding to the pressure. Nonetheless, Leask’s explosive 35 off 17 balls, including four towering sixes, decisively shifted the momentum in Scotland’s favor. Despite his dismissal at 147, Scotland remained on course to chase down the target comfortably.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

MICHAEL LEASK. 101 METRES. 🤯

— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) June 6, 2024

🏏 Great win, Scotland! Held their nerve! Victory over Namibia with some tremendous 6s by Michael Leask & Richie Berrington! 👏🏻

— Kenny Crawford (@KennyCrawford_) June 6, 2024

Very emotional scenes in Namibia camp!! Captain Gerhard Erasmus in tears, Bernard Scholtz in tears, David Wiese is heart broken as Scotland beaten Nambia at Barbados.

I like Namibian team, I love their dedication towards this game. At same time, I am pretty happy for… pic.twitter.com/RHuRzN6Gra

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) June 6, 2024

Scotland defeat Namibia. They were rather struggling but Michael Leask gave that impetus in the chase. Scotland’s first win against Namibia in 4 meetings believe it or not#SCOvsNAM #PakvsUSA #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/DNJSwdnldS

— Vivek Yadav (@Vivek67320134) June 6, 2024

We’ve got Michael Leask, I just don’t think you understand…

— HalfwayUpMiddle (@halfwayupmiddle) June 6, 2024

Good knock, Michael Leask.

— Mayank (@ImMayankB) June 6, 2024

Magic 🏏 from 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

And take a bow Aberdonian Michael Leask!! https://t.co/vJrpBPabRu

— Mark Donaldson 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@DonaldsonESPN) June 6, 2024

Michael Leask departs but he’s helped break the back of this chase for someone else to try and finish off with Berrington 👏👏 Impressive 35 off 17

— Karl Seed ⚡️ (@KarlSeed29) June 6, 2024

When you think 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 are down & out when they lose 4-5 wickets & have an uphill task, they often find a way to comeback & win games from that position.

The likes of Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, & Mark Watt are often instrumental in providing useful contributions with the bat. https://t.co/xGQF7pdiNM

— Jeet Vachharajani (Men’s Cricket) (@Jeetv27) June 6, 2024

And Scotland prevail! Fitting for their captain Richie Berrington to get the winning runs. A captains knock of 47(35) to get Scotland home. 2 valuable points for them #T20WorldCup #T20WorldCup24 #ViratKohli #RohitSharma #IndvIre #AUSvOMA #INDvPAK #USAvPAK #PAKvUSA… pic.twitter.com/7PE2XFm4kL

— Cricketism (@MidnightMusinng) June 6, 2024

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