An already triumphant day for Namibian cricket gained added majesty when Zane Green smashed the last ball of their one-off T20 International against South Africa to the midwicket boundary to claim a stunning four-wicket victory for the home team.
The Namibian Cricket Ground, newly minted, and filled with 7,000 spectators, erupted as the Eagles easily claimed their largest international scalp against their more renowned neighbours.
The Proteas may have been missing several household names, but in Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks, they had two players who featured in last year’s T20 World Cup final, while Donovan Ferreira, who captained the side in the absence of Aiden Markram, is one of the most prodigious hitters in the short format.
But the Namibians made excellent use of conditions, to rein in South Africa, restricting a strong batting line-up to 134/8.
Although the sluggish pace of the pitch made shot-making difficult, Proteas players will be unhappy with their approach after Ferreira chose to bat, in the first international match to be staged at the venue which will host matches at the 2027 World Cup.
At a cost of R69m, it is a lovely stadium, with spectators housed on grass banks, offering several spots for locals to engage in their favourite past-time — braaing.
For De Kock it was an inauspicious return with the bat. Understandably tense, he blocked his first delivery, pulled a single to midwicket, blocked his third ball, should have hit the fourth one he faced to the boundary, but missed it down the leg side.
He then hit the next one in the air, giving Ruben Trumpelmen an easy catch at square leg.
All of the Proteas batters were dismissed attempting attacking shots, and it was left to Jason Smith, who top scored with 31, to piece together a competitive total.
Namibia’s batters also struggled with the slow surface, and when their captain Gerhard Erasmus was dismissed by Bjorn Fortuin for 21, it looked like their chances of winning had gone.
But, with the hosts needing 11 off the last over, Green stayed cool, hitting a crucial six off the first ball, and then belting the last one, bowled by Andile Simelane, to the midwicket fence.
Already historic, yesterday was even more memorable for Namibian cricket, as the Eagles showed they are not just ready to host in 2027, but play well in that event too.
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