Ruben Trumpelmann recorded a sensational opening over as Namibia defeated Scotland by four wickets in a Super-12 contest of the T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi. After restricting Scotland to a below-par 109 for eight in 20 overs, the Namibia batting unit chased down the total with five deliveries to spare.
JJ Smit top-scored for Namibia with 23-ball 32 which featured two fours and as many sixes. Openers Craig Williams (23) and Michael van Lingen (18) set the tone before David Wiese chipped in with a 16-run cameo. In the end, Smit finished off with a six off Safyaan Sharif to register his side's first Super 12 victory.
Trumpelmann turns heads
Ruben Trumpelmann started with aplomb, picking three wickets in the first over to shake the Scotland batting unit. The 23-year-old left-arm pacer George Munsey, Calum MacLeod and skipper Richie Berrington, leaving the opposition reeling at 2/3 in the first four deliveries of the contest.
Trumpelmann finished with figures of 3 for 17 from his four overs as Namibia clamped down Scotland in the Powerplay itself. Namibia were brilliant at the death too, conceding only 25 runs in the last five overs and taking three wickets.
George Munsey departed on the first ball of the match before Trumpelmann had Calum Macleod caught behind off an angled delivery. Richard Berrington was the next man to depart. He reviewed the on-field umpire's decision but DRS found the ball clipping the leg-stump.
He may have missed out on an elusive T20 World Cup hat-trick, but Trumpelmann became the first bowler to take three wickets in the 1st over of a T20I. Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews had also achieved the feat against West Indies back in 2009 but it was during the second innings of the T20I contest.
Apart from Trumpelmann, Jan Frylinck took two wickets while David Wiese and JJ Smit bagged a dismissal each.
In a bid to recover his side from early setbacks, Michael Leask (44 off 27) joined opener Matthew Cross (19 off 33) in the middle and the duo steadied the ship with a 39-run stand. The partnership, however, wasn't enough to power Scotland to a competitive total.
"It felt great to win and hope to get a few more. I'm focused on the training, and happy to see that things went my way. I was nervous out there, but I thought, it's the World Cup, so why not enjoy it," said Trumpelmann after bagging Player of the Match award.
An elated Namibia captain, Gerhard Erasmus, talked about the win's importance, saying the impact that it will have on "people back home".
"Pretty proud moment. We savour this with the small Namibian group out here and all the people back home. Small but very proud country. We owe it to them back home," he said.
Namibia script history
An elated Namibia skipper, Gerhard Erasmus, talked about the win's importance, saying the impact that it will have on "people back home". Namibia have won nine T20Is this year, jointly-tied with England and Romania on the list. They had lost to Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2021 qualifiers before beating Netherlands and Ireland.
"Delighted to get another World Cup win, another proud moment for the team. From here on we have to lift our level. We are excited for the challenge. Hopefully we can execute on those days. We all know we back each other. It was always about showing good intent. Ruben Trumpelmann sets high standards. By his own admission he hasn't hit the straps but very delighted that he came out here and executed," Erasmus said in the post-match presentation.
"Pretty proud moment. We savour this with the small Namibian group out here and all the people back home. Small but very proud country. We owe it to them back home," he signed off.
