North Sound: Australia qualified for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup after defeating Namibia by nine wickets here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday.
Australia produced a ruthless performance in all departments, chasing down Namibia’s total of 72 inside six overs.
Spinner and Player of the Match Adam Zampa picked up a slice of history with his match-winning spell of 4-12, becoming the first Australian men’s player to reach 100 T20I wickets milestone.
Overall, Zampa joined Megan Schutt and Ellyse Perry as the only compatriots to reach that mark in the short format at the international level.
Namibia’s total against Australia is their lowest in men’s T20Is. Their previous lowest was 96 all out against Sri Lanka in the 2021 T20 World Cup and against Netherlands during the T20 World Cup Qualifier in 2019.
Captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and decided to bowl first. Australia had a fantastic start, taking three wickets for just 17 runs in the first six overs, putting significant pressure on Namibia’s top order.
Captain Gerhard Erasmus hit a rare boundary, bringing Namibia to 5/31 at the 10-over mark. However, shortly after the drinks break, Zampa and Hazlewood combined for the sixth wicket, with Hazlewood taking a sharp catch for Zampa’s second with the dismissal of David Wiese.
Ruben Trumpelmann attacked the spinner, hitting a 97-metre six over mid-wicket. However, on the next ball, he was caught by Glenn Maxwell in the same area, giving Zampa his third wicket. The leg-spinner then ended his spell in the same over, with wicket No.4, removing Bernard Scholtz.
As wickets continued to fall, skipper Gerhard Erasmus’ 36 off 43 balls gave Namibia something to defend. His side was all out for 72 in 17 overs when Marcus Stoinis removed Ben Shikongo.
Zampa (4), Hazlewood (2), Stoinis (2), Pat Cummins (1) and Nathan Ellis (1), who replaced Mitchell Starc for the match, were all wicket-takers for Australia.
Chasing a mere target of 73, Australia’s openers picked up the attack right from the outset. David Warner went 4-4-6-out in the second over, as David Weise had the last laugh in an eventful exchange.
But it didn’t impact Travis Head’s approach, who produced an impressive array of strokes on the way to an unbeaten 17-ball 34, laced with seven-boundary. Head was supported by Marsh (18 off 9 balls), as Australia completed the run chase inside the powerplay.
This victory represents the second-largest margin of win for any team in terms of balls remaining at the Men’s T20 World Cup, with 86 balls left when Australia achieved their target of 73 runs.
Sri Lanka’s win against the Netherlands in 2014 was the previous biggest, as they chased down the target of 40 with 90 balls to spare.
Brief scores: Namibia 72 in 17 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 36; Adam Zampa 4-12, Marcus Stoinis 2-9, Josh Hazlewood 2-18) lost to Australia 74/1 in 5.4 overs (Travis Head 34*, David Wiese 1-15). IANS
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