Namibia stayed alive in the T20 World Cup with a six-wicket win over the Netherlands on Wednesday, thanks to David Wiese’s unbeaten 66.
Former South Africa international Wiese hit five sixes and four boundaries as Namibia chased down their target of 165 with six balls to spare in a sweltering Abu Dhabi where temperatures reached 36 degrees.
It was Namibia’s first World Cup victory, and it kept their hopes of reaching the Super 12 stage alive.
On Monday, they were bowled out for 96 runs and lost by seven wickets to 2014 champions Sri Lanka.
Defeat almost certainly means that the Dutch, who were defeated by Ireland by seven wickets in their opener, will be eliminated.
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Even a victory over Sri Lanka in their final Group A match on Friday may not be enough.
Wiese, a 36-year-old all-rounder who represented South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup, got Namibia off to a good start with a half-century off 29 balls.
He was well supported by captain Gerhard Erasmus, who contributed 32 off 22 balls to the pair’s 93-run fourth-wicket stand.
Pieter Seelaar, the Dutch captain, used seven bowlers in a desperate attempt to stop the onslaught.
Earlier, opener Max O’Dowd hit his second half-century in a row to help the Netherlands reach 164-4 after being put in to bat.
O’Dowd, who was born in New Zealand, batted for nearly the entire innings, scoring 70 runs off 56 balls with one six and six boundaries.
He was eventually run out off the third ball of the final over, following a knock that came after his 51 in his team’s opening loss to Ireland.
Colin Ackermann also contributed significantly with the bat, hitting 35 off 32 balls.
Scott Edwards added a quickfire unbeaten 21 from 11 balls to give the Dutch innings a boost.
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