Namibia hang on to win last-over thriller

Namibia 195 for 9 (Burger 52, Nicolaas 40, Nadeem 4-27) beat Hong Kong 195 for 9 (Irfan 40, Tanwir 27, Nicolaas 4-42) by one wicket
Scorecard

Nicolaas Scholtz's 40 and 4 for 42, along with Sarel Burger's 52 helped Nambia to a one-wicket win over Hong Kong in the first ICC World Cricket League Championship game in Windhoek.

Chasing 194, Namibia found themselves reeling at 13 for 4 inside six overs thanks to Haseeb Amjad and Nadeem Ahmed's early strikes. Burger, however, shared two 50-plus stands, with Raymond van Schoor and Nicolaas, to revive the chase. Nicolaas' dismissal in the 41st over left Namibia with 47 to get from 55 balls, with three wickets in hand. JP Kotze batted around the lower order to keep Namibia in the hunt.

Nizakat Khan dismissed JJ Smit for 2 in the 43rd over, as Namibia inched towards the total. Namibia required 19 off the last three overs, but JP Kotze and Bernard Schotz kept the score ticking with singles, and crucial fours from Bernard in the 48th and 49th overs reduced the equation to one needed off the final over. Bernard was run out off the first ball, but Kotze struck the winning runs and remained unbeaten on 31 off 42.

Earlier, Hong Kong lost opener Roy Lamsam in the fourth over of their innings when he was run out for a nine-ball duck. Nizakat and Irfan Ahmed put on 46 for the second wicket before Craig Williams had Nizakat caught behind in the 14th over.

Hong Kong's middle over failed to string together any considerable partnerships before Tanwir Afzal and Haseeb Amjad came together for a 45-run seventh-wicket stand pushing them past 140. It was Nadeem Ahmed and Waqas Khan who put on an unbroken 34 runs for the 10th wicket to help Hong Kong to 194 for 9. The Scholtz brothers, Nicolaas and Bernard, shared six wickets between them while giving away 64 runs.