Australia qualified for the Super Eights of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 after defeating Namibia by 9 wickets at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Wednesday.
Australia needed just 73 runs to win the match and accomplished the feat in the sixth over, showcasing a dominant performance during the run chase.
David Warner (20 runs from 8 balls, 3 fours, and 1 six) and Travis Head (34* runs from 17 balls, 5 fours, and 2 sixes) opened for Australia and established a 21-run partnership. Warner was dismissed in the second over by David Wiese, but this did not hinder the Aussies as Skipper Mitchell Marsh (18* runs from 9 balls, 3 fours, and 1 six) delivered an impressive performance.
All three Aussie batters played with a strike rate above 200 during the chase. Wiese was the only wicket-taker for Namibia, conceding 15 runs in his single over.
Adam Zampa was named ‘Player of the Match’ after taking four wickets in the first innings, becoming the first Australian to reach 100 wickets in T20Is. After winning the toss, Australia opted to bowl against Namibia, a decision that proved beneficial.
Namibia’s openers, Michael van Lingen (10 runs from 10 balls, 2 fours) and Nikolaas Davin (2 runs from 7 balls), failed to provide a strong start, managing only a 14-run opening partnership. Josh Hazlewood made the first breakthrough by dismissing Davin in the third over.
Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus (36 runs from 43 balls, 4 fours, and 1 six) was the only standout performer among his teammates. He was the highest run-scorer for Namibia as no other batter could deliver a substantial performance. Namibia crossed the 50-run mark in the 14th over after losing eight wickets.
The Australian bowling attack dominated the game from the start. Zampa led the charge, taking four wickets and conceding only 12 runs in his four-over spell at an economy rate of 3.00. He dismissed Zane Green, David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, and Bernard Scholtz in the first innings. Hazlewood and Marcus Stoinis also contributed with two wickets each.
Brief score: Namibia 72 (Gerhard Erasmus 36, Michael van Lingen 10, Ruben Trumpelmann 7; Adam Zampa 4/12) vs Australia 74 (Travis Head 34*, David Warner 20, Mitchell Marsh 18*; David Wiese 1/15).
