Namibia deny Afzal's late charge for two-run win

New Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal scored an unbeaten 55 off 27 balls but Namibia managed to defend 14 off the final over to hold on for a two-run win in the last T20 at Windhoek on Tuesday. Afzal entered in the 13th over with the score 63 for 5 in pursuit of Namibia's 144 and struck his third six of the day four balls into the final over to bring up a half-century off 25 balls and trim the target to seven runs in two deliveries. After a two on the fifth ball, Hong Kong needed six to win and four to tie but Afzal only managed two off JJ Smit's final ball.

Hong Kong had won the toss at the start of the day and chose to field first in the 12-a-side contest. Haseeb Amjad captured three wickets in the first four overs to leave Namibia struggling at 11 for 3 before Sarel Burger's second half-century in as many days brought Namibia back into the game. The visitors still had a reasonable hold on the first innings after Irfan Ahmed bowled Michau du Preez for 27 on the first ball of the 11th over, ending a 52-run stand to make it 63 for 4.

However, Burger wrested momentum back for the hosts in the 13th by hitting back-to-back boundaries off Ahmed to commence a 16-run over which took the score to 84 for 4. Burger and Zhivago Groenewald forged a 66-run stand before Groenewald was Amjad's fourth victim of the day in the 18th. Burger brought up his fifty off 43 balls in the next over and stayed to the end to give Namibia a defendable total.

Hong Kong's chase got off to a reasonable start, progressing to 57 for 1 at the halfway stage, but Namibia took four wickets in the space of 12 deliveries. The middle-overs collapse was initially sparked by Christopher Coombe's dismissal of Nizakat Khan for 30 before Smit struck twice in the 12th to remove Waqas Barkat and Babar Hayat. Craig Williams kept the pressure on in the 13th by bowling Jamie Atkinson for 1, one of the allrounder's three wickets on the day.

Afzal counterattacked gamely by striking three boundaries off Groenewald in the 14th. In the end though, Afzal didn't get support from his partners down the stretch and the middle order stumble was too much to overcome.