Namibia scored 163-7 after being invited to bat at Geelong and then bowled out Sri Lanka for 108 in 19 overs.
Namibia made a big upset in the first match of the T20 World Cup when they defeated Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka by 55 runs on Sunday.
After being invited to bat in Geelong, Namibia scored 163-7 with John Frylink 44 and JJ Smit scoring 31 not out and then bowling out Sri Lanka for 108 in 19 overs.
His day will be a day to remember for Namibia as the victory was by no means close, but exceedingly broad. Be it a late death on a 68-run stand between Frylinck (44) and Smit (31*) or the electric fielding and bowling performance, Namibia overtook Lanka in every department. Bowlers like David Wiese (2/16), Ben Shikongo (2/22) and Bernard Scholtz (2/18) led the side with the ball.
Chasing 164, Sri Lanka waited for a surprise. Opener Kusal Mendis was dismissed for just 6 runs by medium pacer David Wiese in the second over. Another medium pacer, Ben Shikongo, dismissed Pathum Nissaka (9) and Danushka Gunathilaka (0) for two consecutive deliveries, sending the opposition camp into panic. Sri Lanka were 21/3 in 3.3 overs.
Dhananjaya de Silva joined in giving a tough fight to Bhanuka Rajapaksa and took Sri Lanka safely through the rest of his powerplay. With Silva (11*) and Rajapaksa (9*) at the crease, Sri Lanka were 38/3 in six overs.
Medium pace continued to dominate Lanka's innings as Jane Frylink joined the party, dismissed Silva for 12 off 11 balls and caught Shikongo at deep backward square leg. Sri Lanka was 40/4.
Dasun Shanaka joined Captain Rajapaksa and had to do some heavy repair work. Both kept the scoreboard ticking and brought Sri Lanka safely to the middle of the innings. After 10 overs, Sri Lanka were at 72/4 with Rajapaksa (19*) and Shanaka (22*) at the helm. It looked like Sri Lanka might make a comeback in the match.
When things looked safe for Sri Lanka, spinner Bernard Scholtz delivered two blows to the Asia Cup champions, sending back Rajapaksa (20) and Wanindu Hasaranga (4). Frylink also took his second wicket of the match, dismissing skipper Shanaka for 29 off 23 balls.
The Asia Cup champions looked in great trouble after losing 7 wickets for just 88 runs in 14 overs. He needed big swing, but cautiously needed 76 off 36 balls, with only three wickets in hand.
Pramod Madushan was run out for zero by Michael van Lingen and wicketkeeper Jan Green. Sri Lanka were reduced to 88/8 and Namibia were just two wickets away from making a major upset.
Chamika Karunaratne (5) and Dushmantha Chamira (8) lost their wickets due to poor shot selection and Namibia secured a memorable win against the recently crowned Asia Cup champions. Sri Lanka were bundled out for 108 in 19 overs and lost the game by 55 runs.
Scholtz (2/18) and David Wiese (2/16) were the standout bowlers for Namibia. Shikongo and Frylink took two wickets each. Smith also took a wicket.
Earlier, late flourishes from Jan Frylink and JJ Smit helped Namibia reach a solid 163/7 against Sri Lanka in their Group A in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at Simmonds Stadium on Sunday.
Namibia showed some solid intent throughout their innings but it came at the cost of their wickets. Sri Lanka restricted their opponents to 95/6 in 15 overs, but Frylink (44 off 28) and Smit (31*) shared a 69-run partnership to help their team reach a competitive total .
Sri Lanka came out to bat first, Namibia had a poor start. Openers Michael van Lingen (3) and Dewan La Kock (9) were sent back to the pavilion by fast bowlers Dushmantha Chamira and Pramod Madushan. It reduced Namibia to 16/2 in 3 overs.
John Nicole Lofty-Eaton and Stephen Byrd were the new pair and began to rebuild the innings. Eaton had the honor of hitting the first six of the tournament by dodging Chameera at the fine leg boundary in the fourth over.
Eton continued to bat with aggressive intent, hitting a four and a six off Chamika Karunaratne. Karunaratne, though laughing for the last time, dismissed Eaton for short but entertained 20 off 12 balls. A promising partnership was ended for just 19 runs.
Captain Gerhard Erasmus was the next batsman at the crease, who had the responsibility to prop up his side in the second half of the innings without causing any further damage. At the end of the powerplay in six overs, Namibia were 43/3, with Erasmus (3*) and Bard (7*) at the crease. Intent was shown in the powerplay, but it cost wickets. Sri Lanka on the other hand set a standard with their athletic fielding and hard bowling.
Namibia reached the 50-run mark in 7.2 overs. Halfway through their innings, Namibia were at 59/3 with Erasmus (11*) and Bard (15*).
The duo had formed a pretty solid partnership for their side and found a way to score runs and convert singles into doubles with consistent strike rotation. Just when it looked like he would switch gears, Erasmus was dismissed for 20 off 24 balls, without any fours or sixes. Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga took his first wicket at deep midwicket after it was passed to Gunathilaka. With this, the 41-run stand between the two ended and Namibia were on 76/4.
Jan Frylink joins the Bard. An incredible diving catch from Dhananjay de Silva at deep backward square leg ended Bard's 24-ball 26. Half of Namibia's batting lineup was in the pavilion for 91 runs.
An experienced David Wiese was at the crease and was expected to make some solid finishing touches but he sidelined a delivery from spinner Mahesh Thekshana which went straight into the hands of wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis. Wiese had gone for a duck.
In 15 overs, Namibia were on 95/6, with Frylink (14*) and JJ Smit (1*) at the crease. A hard strike from Frylink through the midwicket region took Namibia to the 100-run mark in 15.4 overs.
Smit and Frilink started attacking the Sri Lankan bowlers and 37 runs came in the next three overs. The maximum loss to Karunaratne was dismissed for 16 runs in the 18th over. Both found ways to get runs on the board despite Wiese's dismissal, adding 50 runs in just 27 balls.
He also helped his team reach the 150-run mark in 19 overs, which looked suspicious in a few balls. Namibia finished their innings at 163/7 after scoring 68 runs in the last five overs. Frylink was dismissed for 44 off the last ball on 28 runs while Smit remained unbeaten on 31. Pramod Madushan (2/37) was the leading bowler for Sri Lanka. Thikshana, Karunaratne, Hasaranga and Chamira also got a wicket each.
Brief scores: Namibia: 163/7 in 20 overs (Jan Frylinck 44, JJ Smit 31*, Pramod Madushan 2/37) beat Sri Lanka: 108 in 19 overs (Dasun Shanaka 29, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 20, David Wiese 2/16) ).
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