Home
Namibia took a 2-1 lead after securing a second win in their home series against Uganda, with an emphatic 52-run victory in the deciding game in Windhoek on Sunday. Star of the show with both bat and ball was Namibian all-rounder Jonathan Smit, who hit 71 runs off 35 balls for his side, helping them to a total of 185 after the top order collapsed. Striking at a rate of 202.85, he hit seven sixes and four fours.
But it was actually with the ball that Smit displayed his best performance. The 26-year-old Smit picked up a massive six wickets, including four (and a hat-trick) in the same over, to help wrap up the Ugandan innings for just 133 runs.
Opening the bowling for the Namibians, Smit dismissed Arnold Otwani for a duck on the third ball itself, finishing the over as a maiden. This was followed by the dismissal of Kenneth Waiswa, who found the hands of Ben Shikongo in the third over, to end his innings with no runs as well.
Smit returned in the17th over, and almost immediately picked up a wicket on the second ball. This time his victim was Frank Akankwasa, who hit the ball straight to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton. Akankwasa returned to the pavilion after scoring just five runs in three balls.
In the final three balls his third over, the left-arm medium-fast bowler first dismissed Simon Ssesazi, who was the only Ugandan batter who could snatch the victory from Namibia. Ssesazi was caught by Jan Frylinck off Smit's bowling, having scored 58 runs in 47 balls after opening the batting. The next two wickets that fell were of Frank Nsubuga, who was bowled by the all-rounder, and then Juma Miyagi, who was dismissed LBW.
Smit went on to concede just 10 runs during his entire bowling spell, limiting his economy rate to just 2.50. These were also his best figures with a ball, having made his debut for Namibia back in April 2021.
With just a wicket remaining and the match neatly wrapped up and handed to them by Smit, it was Frylinck who finished the game in the final over, picking up the wicket of Fred Achelam who scored six runs off eight balls.
After winning the first T20 match by eight wickets, Namibia lost the second match although their skipper Gerhard Erasmus smashed 100-runs off just 47 deliveries. The innings had nine fours and seven sixes, helping Namibia post a score of 177/4. But his innings went in vain after Riazat Ali Shah and Henry Ssenyondo rescued the Ugandans.
