Barbados, June 3 (IANS) David Wiese feels he ‘doesn’t have a lot of years left in him’ after delivering a heroic performance in the Super-Over against Oman leading his team Namibia to a ten-run victory in their opening ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 match here at Kensington Oval.
Oman posted a total of 109/10 against Namibia’s disciplined bowling. However, Mehran Khan’s stunning spell helped Oman tie the game, taking the match in the super-over.
Namibia came out with flying colours in the Super Over and posted 21/0, which Wiese successfully defended by conceding just 10 runs and picking up a wicket to seal the victory in their opening Group B match.
“Aged a couple of years tonight. Don’t have a lot of years left in me. Emotionally draining evening,” said Wiese after the match.
Wiese opened the batting for Namibia in the Super Over and hit a four and a six of Bilal Khan’s opening two deliveries which fueled Namibia’s score to 21. The 39-year-old all-rounder was then trusted with the ball in the final over of the game which he executed to perfection, restricting Oman to 10 whilst bowling out their power-hitter, Naseem Khushi.
“I had a feel for the wicket and knew what I had to execute in the Super Over. The pitch was difficult, was a bit two-paced and different to what we expected. I think we adapted well and it was surely a pitch where you had to spend some time out there. I think if we were chasing 180, we would have had to attack without thinking too much about the pitch, so tough to say what would have been a par total on this wicket,” he concluded.
It was Ruben Trumpelmann that gave Namibia the perfect start to the game as he took two wickets on the opening two deliveries. His opening spell saw Oman struggling at 10/3.
Wiese and Trumpelmann combined for seven of the team’s ten wickets in the first innings and helped in bundling Oman out at 109.
Defending 109, disciplined spin bowling from Aqib and Zeeshan Maqsood slowed Namibia’s scoring rate in the middle overs. Set batter Frylinck hit a series of boundaries, bringing the required rate level with three overs remaining. Mehran, who had given just four runs off two overs thus far, brought up his wickets tally up from one to three in the first three balls of the final over, removing Frylinck and trapping Zane Green (0) lbw.
In the super-over, Wiese and Gerhard Erasmus made the most of Bilal Khan’s pace and hit four boundaries to take 21 runs off Namibia’s allotted Super Over.
–IANS
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