Namibia versus Scotland
Bridgetown, 8pm local time
The big picture: After failure comes opportunity
Judging by the two very contrasting encounters so far in Group B of the 2024 T20 World Cup, that magic number appears to be 109.
In Barbados on Sunday evening, Namibia struggled to match Oman’s total of 109 on the final ball of the original 20 overs, thanks to David Wease’s heroism in the Super Over to snatch two precious points.
And two days later, on the same court at Bridgetown (albeit a less slow and sticky one, judging by the fluency of the Scotland openers), George Manjhi and Michael Jones thrashed the England bowlers for 90 runs in 10 overs after a two-hour rain interruption. By the time DLS worked its magic, England would have needed a target of 109 had it not been for the bad weather that marred the afternoon’s entertainment.
Now, we return to Bridgetown to root for two teams who have been on impressive form since the end of their respective campaigns at the last T20 World Cup in 2022. Last year, Namibia and Scotland topped their African and European regional qualifiers, respectively, with six wins from six against lesser known opponents such as Italy and Tanzania, but now they go head-to-head with more than just intercontinental bragging rights on the line.
That proved to be the case as England have always struggled against the best teams in Europe, and regardless of whether Tuesday’s cancellation was a blessing or a lost opportunity for Scotland, the fact that the top seeds in Group B fell just short of the expected two points means a major upset is entirely possible, especially if Australia can inflict further damage on England’s standings in Saturday’s heavyweight clash.
In the meantime, it’s the wins here and now that matter. If Scotland can pick up the extra point that eluded them last time and maintain their 100% T20I record when they face Oman in Antigua on Sunday, qualification will be within reach when they go into their final group game against Australia next week. There are, of course, a lot of ifs at this stage, but one less than was needed at the start of the campaign.
Meanwhile, two consecutive wins will see Namibia move three points clear at the top of Group B. If they need any more inspiration, they need only look back to the last T20 World Cup two years ago, when they qualified with a stunning opener win over Sri Lanka, only to have their hopes snatched away by the Netherlands and the UAE. Namibia will be looking to make sure they do not squander their recent strong start.
Namibia TWWLL (Last 5 completed matches, most recent first)
Scotland Wow
Notable figures: Munsey and Trumpelman
In the second half of Tuesday’s innings, Jones got a run in for Scotland before the rain brought the highlight of the day – a fierce pick-up from Chris Jordan that destroyed a solar panel on the roof at midwicket. But on the 22-ball restart, it all came together. George Manziesmashed for 23 with 12 balls remaining, including a brilliant switch-hit six that the left-handed KP could not have imagined coming at a better time. But Namibia knew from recent experience that the shot was a Manjhi trademark. At Kirtipur in February 2023, Manjhi produced a similar stroke for four to reach his maiden ODI hundred, sealing a stunning 10-wicket victory with 167 balls to spare. His only first-class hundred came against the same opposition in the Intercontinental Cup at Ayr in 2017.
But Manjhi will remember well what happened the last time he was met with a left-arm swing. Reuben TrumpelmanAt the T20 World Cup. Facing the first ball of the match in Abu Dhabi 2021, Manjhi climbed to the cut but misjudged the width and slammed the ball onto his own stumps. Three balls later, Scotland were 2 for 3, with Callum McLeod and Richie Berrington smashed majestically by rival Mitchell Starc. And fortunately for Namibia, Trumpelman started this latest tournament in similar disastrous fashion, taking two wickets in two balls against Oman, with Kashyap Prajapati and Aqib Ilyas both falling lbw on brutal stump-hunting runs.
The good news is that the weather in Barbados looks to be much better than it was during the first week of the tournament, with only a slight chance of rain predicted each day through Sunday.
Namibia looked in danger in their opening match against Oman but ultimately emerged victorious and it is possible they will play with an unchanged line-up.
Namibia (Predictions): 1 Michael van Lingen, 2 Nikolaas Davin, 3 Jan Vrylinck, 4 Gerhard Erasmus (captain), 5 JJ Smit, 6 David Wiese, 7 Zane Green (weekend), 8 Malan Kruger, 9 Ruben Trumpelmann, 10 Bernard Scholz, 11 Tangeni Lungameni
Only two Scotland players got a taste of the Caribbean World Cup atmosphere on Tuesday but the confidence shown by Manzie and Jones in their uninterrupted performance should not be underestimated and there is no reason to think any changes will be made to the trusted line-up for the opening match.
Scotland (Predictions): 1 George Manzie, 2 Michael Jones, 3 Brandon McMullen, 4 Richie Berrington (captain), 5 Matt Cross (Weekend), 6 Michael Leask, 7 Chris Greaves, 8 Mark Watt, 9 Brad Weale, 10 Chris Soule, 11 Brad Curry
“At the World Cup, every game is important, no matter who the opponent is, so nothing changes in terms of the process or the preparation. There might not be as many fans watching, but it’s still just as important and we know we need to win to really compete here.”
Brad WheelerThe Scotland seamer is gearing up for a crucial showdown.
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