England v Namibia

At Port Elizabeth, February 19, 2003. England won by 55 runs. Toss: Namibia. One-day international debut: S. F. Burger.

Nine thousand increasingly pro-Namibian fans watched Jan-Berrie Burger set hearts thumping nervously across England. If the technique was simple - move into line, hit as far as possible - the end result was certainly effective. Burger smashed 85 in 86 balls, and the England fielders threatened to join Nasser Hussain, laid up with a stiff neck, as they watched the ball fly over their heads. With the clouds thickening over Port Elizabeth, Namibia were ahead on Duckworth/Lewis for nearly 12 overs, though it later transpired that England were blissfully unaware of their peril: Stewart, their stand-in captain, said he had entrusted the crib sheet to Trescothick, who botched the maths and kept insisting England were ahead. A diving catch from Collingwood ended the Burger menace, but the Namibians kept fighting and when van Vuuren hit the last ball of the match for a huge six his team-mates rushed on to the field to celebrate a gutsy display. Earlier, van Vuuren, also a Namibian rugby international, had finished off the England innings, striking three times in the last over. Trescothick, Stewart and White all batted pugnaciously, but the match award could only go to one man.

Man of the Match: A. J. Burger. Attendance: 9,756.