Namibia make short work of Gauteng in World Cup warmup
On a lively pitch at the Stan Friedman Oval in Krugersdorp, Namibia, playing their first lead-up game to the 2003 ICC World Cup, made short work of the Gauteng batting, bowling the locals out for 126 in 42.2 overs and then knocking off the runs in 24
Keith Lane
03-Feb-2003
On a lively pitch at the Stan Friedman Oval in Krugersdorp, Namibia, playing their first lead-up game to the 2003 ICC World Cup, made short work of the Gauteng batting, bowling the locals out for 126 in 42.2 overs and then knocking off the runs in 24 overs.
An excellent spell of opening bowling from Gerrie Snyman saw him taking three wickets in his first six overs to leave Gauteng struggling at 45/3 in the 11th over, that after Greg Smith, striking a quick 25 from 25 balls including five boundaries, and Martinus Otto(7) put on 36 for the first wicket.
In the next eight overs Gauteng lost a further 5 wickets for the addition of only 13 runs, leaving them in the precarious position of 58/8 in the 19th over. Bjorn Kotze, with three wickets, and Louis Burger, with two wickets, had bowled the heart out of the Gauteng middle order.
A partnership of 26 between Clive Eksteen and Ashfak Abowath was eclipsed by Eksteen and Younis Keiler, putting on 42 for the last wicket, the highest of the innings. Eksteen finished undefeated on 37 to record the top score in the Gauteng innings.
Kotze finished with figures of 4/28 while Burger bowling six overs, five of them maidens, took two wickets for six runs. Five of the six runs coming from wides in his final over. Lennie Louw once again returned economical figures of 1/23 from nine overs while the Namibian keeper, Morne Karg, walked away with five catches behind the wicket.
Making short work of the 127 run target Namibia scored a six wicket win in 23.3 overs turning around the 72 run loss they suffered during the Standard Bank Cup.
The Namibians have come a long way from when they qualified for the World Cup in Toronto almost two years ago. A close series against Bangladesh, in which they won once, but came very close on two further occasions, has shown that the players are learning and adapting all the time.
Stephan Swanepoel, scoring a run-a-ball 46, and Jan-Berry Burger, run out when on 31 off 33 balls, set the win up for the visitors with a second wicket partnership of 56.
The Namibian captain, Danie Keulder, built on the good start to take his team home with an undefeated and well-deserved 34.