Sri Lanka vs Namibia HIGHLIGHTS, T20 World Cup 2022: NAM beats SL for stunning 55-run win in first match in Group A

Gerhard Erasmus: Incredible journey, last year was a special experience for us. We’ve started a great win, but lot of work to do throughout this tournament still. It’s been a historic day for us. The opening day has been quite special but we want to kick on from here and qualify for the Super 12 stage. We understand the bigger picture as well. Credit goes to Pierre (de Bruyn) the way he has installed coaching to this team, one that’s a winning culture and one that sticks together. With the limited resources, I don’t think there’s anyone else that could run such a tight ship.

Dasun Shanaka: The surface played really well, but we didn’t execute well with the ball. Didn’t bowl in the right areas and that’s a concern. Once we lose three wickets in the powerplay, we are usually out of the game. The plans should be simple, we need not do anything special. We got a good team, it’s about the process. When we are chasing 160, we need need some partnerships. Need the openers to come good and the No. 3 to click.

I’m a little bit speechless at the moment. What we just achieved is above what we thought we could do. I am just very excited at this point of time. JJ just came in and took a little bit of pressure off me with a lot of boundaries. Myself and JJ got us to a competitive total and the bowlers were just unbelievable. (Surface) It was a little bit two-paced, the good lengths were hard to get away. Other than that, it played rather true and you could just hit on the up. We just stuck to our plans (with the ball), tried to hit good lengths and let them make the mistakes.

Wiese to Chameera, OUT! Chameera finds the deep mid-wicket fielder with a slog sweep and Namibia seals a famous victory to set itself up nicely in Group A. A 55-run win - a massive one in terms of the NRR and the fair margins in this game. A superb all-round effort from Gerhard Erasmus’ men stun the Asian champion.

Dushmantha Chameera c Erasmus b Wiese 8 (15b)

Theekshana heaves Frylinck across the line for a SIX over mid-wicket. Attempts a similar stroke and nearly picks up the deep mid-wicket fielder on the full.

Wiese pins Theekshana and Chameera deep into the crease and concedes only two runs in the over. Mere formality now for Namibia as it is well on its way to begin its campaign with a fantastic win.

Frylinck to Chamika, OUT! One shot too many and he pops the ball straight to the long-off fielder. Namibia is one-wicket win away from a famous win here.

Wickets continue to tumble. The pressure has crippled the lower-order and Madushan is run out in the bid to complete a quick single. Superb effort from Bernard Scholtz who bowls out with figures of: 3-0-18-2.

Pramod Madushan Liyanagamage run out (van Lingen/†Green) 0 (0b)

Frylinck to Shanaka, OUT! Slower-ball and Shanaka sends it straight up. An absolute skier and Green puts in a superb full-length dive to complete the catch!

Dasun Shanaka c †Green b Frylinck 29 (23b 2x4 1x6)

Scholtz to Hasaranga, OUT! A terrific catch from Loftie-Eaton down at deep mid-wicket. Another flawed slog-sweep against the left-arm spinner hurts Sri Lanka.

Chamika Karunaratne enters at 8.

Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva c Loftie-Eaton b Scholtz 4 (8b)

Hasaranga attempts to get a move on with a lofted stroke over cover. Shanaka and Hasaranga believes it would run for a boundary and takes a casual stroll as the ball stops before the fence. Shoddy running there. Just the four runs from Smit’s over. The chase just gets stiffer for Sri Lanka.

Scholtz to Rajapaksa, OUT! Holes out to deep mid-wicket. Scholtz forces Rajapaka into a slog sweep towards the longer part of the ground and he fails to clear the fence. Wanindu Hasaranga comes in at 6.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa c la Cock b Scholtz 20 (21b 2x4)

Shanaka takes on the short ball from Shikongo twice in the over. Two FOURs - one past point and behind square - for the Sri Lankan captain before the midway break.

Frylinck fends short and Shanaka sends it over mid-wicket for SIX with a loud thud. Sri Lanka needs to get a move on and the captain ushers the signal.

Shikongo pushes one across the line and finds the outside-edge from Rajapaksa. The outside-edge just flies past a diving Green for FOUR.

Frylinck to de Silva, OUT! Flicks it straight to the deep fine leg fielder. Frylinck slides this one down with an angle from over the wicket and de Silva couldn’t have been more accurate in fielding that fielder. Skipper Dasun Shanaka is in with his team in trouble.

Dhananjaya de Silva c Shikongo b Frylinck 12 (11b 1x4)

Wiese returns with another firm over for Namibia. PowerPlay is done and dusted and Namibia will be really happy with its start here.

Smit concedes eight runs from his first over in the PowerPlay. Sri Lanka is evidently on the backfoot and Rajapaksa and de Silva are content to bide time in the middle.

Shikongo to Nissanka, OUT! Full and straight and Nissanka swipes it straight to mid-on. Danushka Gunathalika is in at 4. He falls first ball! Shikongo takes the ball away from the left-hander and gets an outside-edge to the keeper. Bhanuka Rajapaksa is in at 5. Shikongo on a hat-trick! Shikongo slides one into the pads and there’s a LOUD shout for an lbw. The umpire turns it down and Namibia instantly reviews. Seems like the ball is sliding down leg and Shikongo misses a hat-trick but what a PowerPlay this has been for Namibia.

Left-armer Bernard Scholtz replaces Erasmus. de Silva swipes a loopy delivery across the line over mid-on for FOUR. Eight runs from the over.

Slower-bal on length and Mendis sends it straight up and wicketkeeper Green keeps his cool to hold onto a skier. Dhananjaya de Silva is in at 3. Wiese completes a fine over with a wicket and just five runs from it.

Kusal Mendis c †Green b Wiese 6 (6b)

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis open for Sri Lanka. Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus takes the new ball.

Short from Erasmus and Nissanka blasts the first ball past square leg for FOUR. A couple of singles to follow as eight runs come off the first over.

Jan Frylinck: The wicket is a bit two paced, but 163 is competitive. JJ (Smit) was targeting the shorter boundaries. It worked out in the end. Hard lengths are tough to get away, so we got to be consistent in that area when we bowl. We are confident of winning this.

Chameera strays to the pads and Frylinck flicks it down to deep backward square for FOUR. Chameera comes over the wicket and bangs the ball short to beat the batter outside the off-stump twice. Frylinck slams one ball down to long-on and Shanaka’s fantastic effort is not enough as he spills a catch in the last moment. Frylinck drills the last ball down the ground and scampers for the second but falls short as he completes the run - a decent finish for Namibia with an excellent recovery to post 163/7 in 20 overs.

Jan Frylinck run out (Gunathilaka/†Mendis) 44 (28b 4x4)

Madushan starts with a slower-ball and Smit slashes it past point for FOUR. 50-run partnership for Smit and Frylinck in just 28 balls. Another slower-ball on length and Smit pummels it over deep mid-wicket for a massive SIX - 94m! 150 up for Namibia in 19 overs!

Slower ball from Karunaratne on the full and Smit waits for it. He lofts it beautifully above extra cover and bears the wide long-off fielder for FOUR. 16 runs come from the over.

Hasaranga tosses one up and Smit has a clean sighter. He unleashes a slog-sweep and finds a SIX.

Short and slow from Chameera and Frylinck whacks it through mid-wicket for FOUR. Namibia moves past 100 and Fylinck and Smit would hope to stay till the end to lead their side towards a respectable total.

Theekshana to Wiese, OUT! A quicker one onto the pads and the ball breaches through Wiese to clip the pads. Namibia reviews and loses it as the replays flicker three reds.

David Wiese c †Mendis b Theekshana 0 (1b0

Frylinck pumps a short ball from Madushan behind square for FOUR. A single to follow. Madushan to Baard, OUT! Baard swats a short ball towards backward square-eg but it fails to clear Dhananjaya de Silva who takes a fine catch in the deep. David Wiese in at 7.

Frylinck and Baard resort to singles against Karunaratne who mixes up his lengths. Just the four runs from it.

Hasaranga to Erasmus, OUT! Short from Hasaranga and Erasmus falls to his backfoot but fails to power it past the deep mid-wicket fielder. Hasaranga breaks the 41-run partnership. Jan Frylinck in at 6.

Gerhard Erasmus c Gunathilaka b PWH de Silva 20 (24b)

Erasmus and Baard experiment with their shots against Theekshana and gathers three twos in the over. Runs of every delivery and Erasmus retauns strike with a single of the last ball.

Namibia heads into the break with another quiet over negotiated against Hasaranga. Just the three singles from it as we reach the halfway mark.

A screamer, nearly! Karunaratne drills one onto the stumps and Baard fails to time his slog that flies to the right of Rajapaksa at short cover. He puts in a superb full-length dive and nearly latches onto a tough chance. Top effort there.

Namibia Projected score: 127 at Current Run Rate | 123 runs at 6 RPO | 147 runs at 8 RPO

Hasaranga nearly strikes in his first over. Slides one in deftly as Baard steps out to punch the ball. He does some late shuffling to ensure the ball doesn’t get through to the stumps and instead lobs over it for a couple of runs.

Theekshana returns and concedes just singles. Baard and Erasmus watchful against the sliders from Theekshana.

Baard shows his class with a fiery flick through mid-wicket off Madushan for FOUR to finish the PowerPlay. Namibia has some rebuilding to do with skipper Erasmus joining Baard.

Chamika Karunaratne into the attack. A hint of room to Loftie-Eaton outside the off-stump and he pumps it over point for SIX. Karunaratne to Loftie-Eaton, OUT! A sensational catch by keeper Kusal Mendis! Karunaratne goes a tad fuller to lure Loftie-Eaton into the drive. He gets a sharp outside-edge and Mendis flies to his left to pouch the ball. Sri Lanka continues to chip away in the PowerPlay.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton c †Mendis b Karunaratne 20 (12b 1x4 2x6)

Loftie-Eaton hits the first SIX of the tournament with a wristy flick. A cracking pick-up shot as Chameera strays to the pads.

Madushan keeps it tight around the stumps and the batters rotate strike with three singles. Madushan slings one in towards the midle-stump and La Cock digs it out to cover. Madushan to La Cock, OUT! Straight to Shanaka at mid-on. Similar delivery from Madushan that moves away from the length. La Cock miscues it altogether and Sri Lanka has two inside the first three overs.

Divan la Cock c Shanaka b Madushan 9 (9b 1x4)

Dushmantha Chameera marks his return for Sri Lanka. Hits the deck first-up and La Cock dabs the ball towards point for a single. Chameera to van Lingen, OUT! Chameera strikes with his second ball in the tournament. Quick and steep bounce off the good length catches van Lingen off-guard. The ball clips the top-edge and flies to the third-man field. Loftie-Eaton in at 3. He gets a single. Edged and flies over the slip-cordon. La Cock slashes at a short ball outside the off-stump and it races away for FOUR through the third-man fence.

Michael van Lingen c Liyanagamage b Chameera 3 (6b)

Theekshana goes right after the stumps and nearly skids it past van Lingen’s blade. A couple of carrom balls from the bowler as van Lingen and La Cock get off the mark with a couple of singles. van Lingen charges Theekshana and steps out to heave over mid-wicket for two runs. Five comes off the first over.

Shanaka leads the talks in the Sri Lanka huddle before they take the field. Divan La Cock and Michael van Lingen open for Namibia. Maheesh Theekshana takes the new ball for Sri Lanka.

We’re nearly there. The teams line-up for the national anthems before the first ball of play.

Sri Lanka XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana

Namibia XI: Stephan Baard, David Wiese, Gerhard Erasmus(c), Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green(w), Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo

TOSS: Sri Lanka wins toss, opts to field

Dasun Shanaka: We’d like to have a bowl. It’s a first game, we’d like to have a look at the wicket. The boys are very confident. We got the same combination that we had in the Asia Cup. With the bowling we have, we’d look to restrict them to a decent score.

Gerhard Erasmus: Both captains would have liked to bowl first. The unknown factor of exactly how the wicket will play and a bit of over head conditions. It’s three games - three games of your life, you need to be on top from the start. If we can start well with the bat, put some pressure on them, that’ll go a long way into making it a very tight game. These conditions suit our bowling attack. It’s a little bit slower and something in the air. In the warm-up game, our bowlers ave hit the ground running and hopefully we can emulate that.

We’re just moments away from the first flip of the coin in the tournament.

Wicketkeeper:Kusal Mendis (c)

Batters: Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jonathan Smit, Pathum Nissanka

All Rounders:Wanindu Hasaranga (vc), David Wiese, Jan Frylinck

Bowlers: Dushmantha Chameera, Bernard Scholtz, Maheesh Theekshana

Team Composition: SL 6:5 NAM; Credits Left: 6.0

At what time will the Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 first round match begin?

The Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 match will start at 9:30 AM IST on October 16, Sunday.

Where can I watch the live broadcast of the Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 first round match in India?

The Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 match will be shown LIVE on the Star Sports Network in India.

Where can I watch the live stream of the Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 first round match in India?

The live streaming of Sri Lanka vs Namibia T20 World Cup 2022 match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.

A confident Sri Lanka opens the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday fresh from being crowned Asian champion, but faces negotiating a tricky preliminary round to join the big guns in the main draw.

It kicks off the global showpiece in Geelong against a Namibian team looking to spring another surprise after making the Super 12 stage on their tournament debut last year.

Originally scheduled to take place in 2020 before being moved because of Covid, the eighth edition of the event begins with a double-header at the 36,000 capacity Kardinia Park outside Melbourne.

Later Sunday, the United Arab Emirates face the Netherlands, before two-time champions the West Indies, Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland join the fray in Hobart on Monday.

Despite 2014 champions Sri Lanka failing to automatically qualify for the Super 12, skipper Dasun Shanaka believes they can go far after beating India and Pakistan on their way to winning the Asia Cup last month.

“The momentum is there and winning the Asia Cup really helps going ahead to the World Cup,” he said.

“Qualifiers will really help because we will play in the conditions before the main tournament happens, so it will be good for us.”

They must first get past an experienced Namibia led by Gerhard Erasmus, who is hoping for more big performances from talisman David Wiese and paceman Ruben Trumpelmann, both of whom played key roles last year.

The Africans also played Sri Lanka first up in 2021, crashing by seven wickets, before beating the Netherlands and Ireland to qualify from the first round.

Progression

The eight teams in the first round are chasing four places in the Super 12, which gets underway on October 22 when defending champion Australia takes on beaten 2021 finalist New Zealand in Sydney.

England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will also be waiting.

The top four progress to the semi-finals before the final at Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 13.

Like Namibia, the UAE is playing only its second T20 World Cup and come into the competition on the back of two defeats to Bangladesh.

Ryan Cook’s Netherlands, who the UAE face first, is in their fourth successive World Cup but angling for a first win in the competition since 2016.

“We will look to continue the progression that was evident through the summer into the tournament,” said Cook, whose team swept through July’s qualifying tournament to seal a World Cup spot.

West Indies is the event’s only two-time champions, but like Sri Lanka must play the first round. It is paired with Scotland, Ireland and Zimbabwe.

Nicholas Pooran’s men, who lost twice to Australia last week, face Scotland first in Hobart on Monday with Ireland and Zimbabwe also meeting in the Tasmanian state capital.

“We are getting accustomed to the conditions, putting our ego aside and working on the team plans,” said Pooran.

Once the qualifying is completed, Aaron Finch’s Australia will look to create history as the first back-to-back world champion when it gets under way against Kane Williamson’s New Zealand.

England faces Afghanistan in Perth on the same day.

A blockbuster clash follows 24 hours later in Melbourne when India, missing injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, meets arch-rival and 2009 champion Pakistan, with more than 90,000 fans expected.

- AFP

SQUADS

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka

Namibia Squad: Stephan Baard, David Wiese, Gerhard Erasmus(c), Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Zane Green(w), Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni, Ben Shikongo, Michael van Lingen, Lohandre Louwrens, Karl Birkenstock, Divan la Cock