New Zealand stayed afloat in the semi-finals contention after defeating Namibia by 52 runs in Group 2 fixture at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The Kiwis increased their chances of advancing through to the semi-finals with a 52-run thrashing of Namibia in the Super 12s Group 2 fixture at Sharjah on Friday. The Kiwis now have 6 points from four matches with a net run-rate of +1.277 and keep the qualification reins in their own hands.
Jimmy Neesham starred for New Zealand with an all-round display. He added valuable 35* off 23 to power the team to 163/4 in 20 overs before giving NZ the first breakthrough with the ball. Glenn Phillips also hammered 39* off 21 while Tim Southee and Trent Boult were excellent with the ball, claiming two wickets each.
As it happened, Namibia won the toss and elected to field first. NZ openers added 30 runs in four overs before last game’s hero Martin Guptill (18 off 18) drilled David Wiese’s delivery straight to mid-off. Daryl Mitchell (19 off 15) was dismissed right after the powerplay.
Devon Conway and Kane Williamson added 39 runs for the third wicket but struggled to score at a quick rate. Williamson’s 25-ball-28 knock ended in the 13th over while Conway was run out in the next over as the Kiwis were reduced to 87/4 in 14 overs.
Phillips and Neesham took two overs to assess the conditions before going berserk in the death overs. The pair smashed 67 runs in the last four overs to power NZ to an above-par total of 163.
Chasing the target, the Namibian openers added 47 runs for the first wicket, but NZ kept the lid on run-rate. Neesham provided the breakthrough as he cleaned up Michael van Lingen for run-a-ball 25. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi dismissed Stephan Baard and Gerhard Erasmus in the next two overs, respectively.
Zane Green and Wiese added 31 runs for the fourth wicket before Southee pinned David in front of the stumps. New Zealand pacers did well in the death overs to restrict Namibia to 111/7 and claimed two crucial points.
New Zealand will play the all-important game against Afghanistan on Sunday, where they need to win to qualify for the semi-finals.
Brief Scores
New Zealand – 163/4 in 20 overs (Phillips 39*, Neesham 35*; Scholtz 1/15, Erasmus 1/22)
Namibia – 111/7 in 20 overs (van Lingen 25, Green 23; Southee 2/15, Boult 2/20)
