Boult gets two late wickets in an over
©ICC / T20 World Cup
<
>
ICC T20 WC: Neesham stars in competent New Zealand win
New Zealand beat Namibia by 52 runs to keep themselves in the hunt for a place in the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday afternoon.
New Zealand after being asked to bat posted 163 for four in their 20 overs and in their reply Namibia finished on 111 for seven in their 20 overs.
Earlier, New Zealand lost early wickets. They were at 43 for two and it appeared that the scoring rate has reduced. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson scored 28 to up the scoring rate. At 87 for four in 14 overs, New Zealand appeared to be heading to a modest total. But in the last six overs, New Zealand upped the scoring rate thanks to Genn Phillips (39 n.o.) and Jimmy Neesham (35 n.o.). This fifth wicket pairing fetched 76 runs and remained unbroken when the innings came to a halt. In the end New Zealand finished on 163 for four in their 20 overs.
In their response, Namibia got off to a steady start before the first wicket fell with the score on 47. But then innings suffered a collapse. The score moved from 47 for one to 55 for three. Then there was one useful partnership of 31 for the fourth wicket between Zane Green and David Wiese which kept the innings on course. But then again there was a collapse as wickets fell in a heap. In the end Namibia finished woefully short ending on 111 for seven in their 20 overs.
For New Zealand the top wicket-takers were Tim Southee (2-15) and Trent Boult (2-20).
Match Summary
Namibia: 163-4 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Martin Guptill-4.1 ov), 2-43 (Daryl Mitchell-6.2 ov), 3-81 (Kane Williamson-12.1 ov), 4-87 (Devon Conway-13.6 ov)
Namibia: 111-7 (20)
Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Michael van Lingen-7.2 ov), 2-51 (Stephan Baard-8.1 ov), 3-55 (Gerhard Erasmus-9.2 ov), 4-86 (David Wiese-14.3 ov), 5-102 (Zane Green-17.5 ov), 6-103 (Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton-18.2 ov), 7-105 (Craig Williams-18.5 ov)
Result: New Zealand won by 52 runs
Playing XI
Namibia: Stephen Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), David Wiese, JJ Smit, JN Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wicket-keeper), K Birkenstock, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (captain), Devon Conway (wicket-keeper), Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Match details
Toss: Namibia, elected to field
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Start time: 1400 hrs UAE time
Match officials: Paul Reiffel, Paul Wilson (On-field Umpires); Ahsan Raza (TV Umpire); Nitin Menon (Reserve Umpire); Ranjan Madugalle (Match-referee)
Cricket World Player of the Week - Kane Williamson
14 March 2023
