Erasmus' 109 helps seal series win
Cricket
FNB Eagles captain Gerhard Erasmus took match four by the scruff of the neck on Friday, ensuring the series-winning 3-1 lead against Assam Cricket Association from India.Batting at number four, Erasmus hit eight mighty sixes and six fours on his way to 109 runs off 71 balls, which propelled the Namibian team to a win by 37 runs.
After a cautious start from openers Zane Green (14 off 34) and JC Balt (28 off 72), the captain found good support from Jan Frylinck (57 off 66 balls; 5x4 1x6) and Malan Kruger (50 off 41 balls; 1x4 2x6) who both passed the fifty mark.
Erasmus reached his fifty off 46 balls, but then raced to raise his bat for the hundred off 65 balls. He was most severe on the bowling of Ayushman Malakar, picking 22 runs off one over that contained three sixes and a four.
The Namibian total of 301/5 was a winning one, as Assam was then restricted to 264/9 – despite a valiant 93 off 101 balls (10x4) from opener Rishav Das and number nine Ayushman Malakar’s 41 off 40 balls.
Two of the Eagles’ slower bowlers got some of the success – Nicol Loftie-Eaton (2/48 in 7 overs) and JC Balt (2/29 in 7), while Jan-Izak de Villiers (2/56 in 9) also followed up on the earlier breakthroughs by Ben Shikongo (1/37 in 8), Ruben Trumpelmann (1/44 in 9) and Tangeni Lungameni (1/35 in 7).
The fifth and final one-day tour match was played yesterday, with the Namibians already holding a 3-1 lead.