Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green take Namibia to historic win over South Africa

Namibia secured a thrilling four-wicket win against South Africa in a one-off T20I in Windhoek on Saturday, clinching victory off the final delivery of the match.

Namibia pulled off a nail-biting four-wicket victory over South Africa in a one-off T20I match in Windhoek on Saturday, sealing the win on the very last ball. This was only the second time South Africa has lost a T20I to an Associate team, the first being against the Netherlands in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

How did Namibia chase the target?

Chasing a target of 135, Namibia was guided by Zane Green’s unbeaten 30 off 23 balls and a brilliant all-round performance by Ruben Trumpelmann, who took 3 for 28 and scored a quick 11 not out off 8 balls. With 11 needed in the last over, Green smashed a six off the first delivery from Andile Simelane. Though Simelane bowled four tight balls afterward, a low full toss on the final delivery was dispatched for the winning runs.

How did South Africa bat?

Earlier, South Africa chose to bat first but lost openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks early. On a slow pitch, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Rubin Hermann built a 30-run stand before Trumpelmann broke through again with help from a good catch at deep square leg. South Africa kept losing wickets regularly and found themselves at 68/5 by the 11th over.

Jason Smith tried to rebuild the innings, but runs were hard to come by on the difficult pitch. Late contributions from Bjorn Fortuin and Gerald Coetzee pushed South Africa’s total to 134/8.

How did Namibia bat?

Namibia’s reply began cautiously, despite early setbacks. South Africa’s pace bowlers, including Coetzee who left the field during his second over, couldn’t maintain pressure. By the end of the seventh over, Namibia had scored 51 runs despite losing three wickets.

Skipper Gerhard Erasmus, JJ Smit, and Jason Kruger kept the scoreboard ticking during the middle overs, keeping Namibia in the game. When 28 runs were required from the final three overs, Green and Trumpelmann held their nerves, finding the boundary at key moments to secure a memorable win.

Trumpelmann was awarded Player of the Match for his impactful bowling and composed finish with the bat, leading Namibia to one of their most notable victories in T20I cricket.

Match Summary:

South Africa: 134/8 in 20 overs
(Jason Smith 31, Rubin Hermann 23; Ruben Trumpelmann 3-23, Max Heingo 2-32)

Namibia: 138/6 in 20 overs
(Zane Green 30*, Gerhard Erasmus 21; Nandre Burger 2-21, Andile Simelane 2-28)

Result: Namibia won by 4 wickets.