Namibia's victory "hasn't sunk in yet", says Gerhard Erasmus

Namibia defeated Ireland by eight wickets with nine balls remaining in Sharjah to book their place in the Super 12s of the 2021 T20 World Cup

Namibia’s captain Gerhard Erasmus was in disbelief following his side’s victory over Ireland in Sharjah, commenting it "hasn’t sunk in yet."

After restricting Ireland to 125 for 8 following strong bowling performances from Jan Frylinck (3 for 21) and David Wiese (2 for 22), Namibia opted for a slow and steady chase, posting 27 for 1 off the powerplay and 77 for 2 after 13 overs.

However, a 53-run partnership (33 balls) between Wiese and Erasmus, the latter of whom scored a fine half-century,  sealed the win with nine balls remaining and secured an historic berth in the Super 12s for the African nation.  

"[I] said in the press conference that we run a tight ship - small country, small number of people play cricket. We should be proud of ourselves," said Erasmus after the match. "I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on and two of us did it tonight. Hopefully we can do it through the tournament. Hasn't sunk in yet, maybe on the way home."

^{Erasmus and Wiese celebrate after their winning stand}

Player of the match David Wiese, who took 2 for 22 with the ball and scored a 14-ball 28 alongside Erasmus, added: "It's completely overwhelming. I don't think I deserve to be sitting here. I think the captain Gerhard Erasmus deserves to be man of the match.

"This is really his moment, and the rest of the team has put in so much work before now to be here. I've played in Sharjah a few times and know the wicket deteriorates to suit my bowling a bit more."

For Ireland, however, it was a disappointing end to their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, finishing in third position in Group A and bowing out in round one for the fifth time. But captain Andy Balbirnie was full of praise for his Namibian counterparts following the eight-wicket defeat.

"It hurts a lot; really wanted to win," he said. "We didn't get enough runs. It will be hard to get over it, and it hurts a lot. I think Wiese played a brilliant hand when the rate was at eight, and their skipper saw them home. There are lot of good cricketers in there in Namibia [and] it wasn't to be."

After finishing second in Group A, Namibia have progressed to Group 2 in the Super 12s, where they will face Scotland, Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and India.

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