On Friday, June 7, at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, Scotland defeated Namibia to record their first victory of the T20 World Cup 2024. After losing to England in their previous match, Richie Berrington’s team was determined to win this one. Namibia won the toss and chose to bat first.
The Gerhard Erasmus-led team lost three wickets during the powerplay, so batting first proved to be an expensive option. After adding just two runs to Namibia’s total, Malan Kruger also left the game early. Captain Erasmus led the assault from 55/4, smashing the Scottish bowlers all over the pitch. With four boundaries and two sixes in 31 balls, the 29-year-old earned his well-deserved half-century.
Despite his best efforts, Zane Green was only able to score 27 goals, despite the Namibian captain’s momentum. David Wiese, the game’s MVP, did not fare well with the bat either, managing only 14 runs. After the stipulated 20 overs, Namibia eventually finished their innings at 155/9.
The Scottish team wins the competition for the first time thanks to captain Berrington.
The Scottish team began the chase carefully, but in the powerplay they lost one wicket, George Munsey. The Richie Berrington-led team’s score was 43/1 after six overs. Even with their best efforts, Michael Jones (26 off 20) and Brandon McMullen (19 off 17) could not hold their position at the crease long enough to pose a threat to the bowlers from Scotland.
Captain Berrington had the responsibility of remaining at the crease longer and ensuring that the run flow did not stop. Additionally, the 37-year-old scored a 47* captain’s knock off of 35 balls. All-rounder Michael Leask also contributed significantly to the Scottish team’s first-ever win alongside him. In the opening innings of the T20 World Cup 2024 encounter, Leask claimed a wicket and was named Player of the Era for his all-around effort. With nine balls remaining, Scotland managed to win by five wickets.
Here are some more highlights from Scotland’s win over Namibia:
Michael Leask can fucking biff it… jheez #NAMvSCO
— Ainsley George 🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@AinsleyScorah) June 6, 2024
Come on Scotland we got this let’s get the job finished #T20WorldCup #NAMvSCO
— Chic (@chicf82) June 6, 2024
It could be another tight finish in Barbados – Scotland need 47 from 30 with six wickets in hand…#NAMvSCO | #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/PRu10JmMQA
— Hassan Tufail (@Ha55anTufail) June 6, 2024
Captain Richie Berrington led from the front and helped Scotland register their first-ever T20I win against Namibia 👏#T20WorldCup | #NAMvSCO pic.twitter.com/c0SF6e1vl1
— Rampravesh Nishad (@merampravesh) June 6, 2024
Key points from #NAMvSCO today:
– Leask bloody whacks it
– Berrington is all class
– Jones belongs at the top
– Erasmus is back with the bat
– Jan Frylinck as a specialist top order batter isn’t cute or funky, it’s just stupid.— Copernicus Cricket (@HeliocentCric) June 6, 2024
The winning moment ✨
Scotland are pumped 🔥#NAMvSCO pic.twitter.com/i4UNeJjlJk
— Dhoni Fan’s (@RanaDinabandhu) June 7, 2024
Scotland Registered 1st WIN of the tournament ✌🏻🏴#NAMvSCO #T20WorldCup https://t.co/ue1w2mw1fQ
— Saideep 🇮🇳 (@saideep1501) June 7, 2024