Oman beat Namibia by six runs in Al Amerat yesterday to draw level at one-all in their five-match T20 international series.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, Oman scored 137 for seven wickets off their 20 overs, which was just out of reach for Namibia, who scored 131/9.
Oman got off to a solid start as all their top-order batsmen got amongst the runs. Kashyap Prajapati scored 20 from 22 balls, while Pratik Athavale and Aqib Ilyas added 49 runs for the second wicket.
Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus, however, struck with two wickets in three balls, dismissing Ilyas for 23 and Athavale for 38 off 26 balls (3×4, 2×6), to reduce them to 84/3.
Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, but Ayaan Khan with 22 and Rafiullah with 15 rallied towards the end as Oman reached a competitive 137/7.
Erasmus was Namibia’s stand-out bowler, taking three wickets for seven runs off three overs, while Ruben Trumpelmann took 3/30.
In reply, Namibia got off to a poor start with JP Kotze out for a second-ball duck, and when Mehran Khan dismissed Malan Kruger for 8 and Jan Frylinck for a duck within four balls they had stumbled to 17/3.
Erasmus, however, led Namibia’s revival with a fine innings, while he received good support from Zane Green (12) and David Wiese (14).
With Erasmus at the crease Namibia had a good chance of winning the match, but when he was caught on the boundary for 58 off 56 balls (5×4,1×6) Namibia’s challenge started to fade.
Further down the order Tangeni Lungameni added 12 not out. but it was not enough as they fell six runs short of the target. Khan was Oman’s best bowler, taking 3/17 off four overs.
The third match of the series takes place at the same venue tomorrow.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
