Tough going at Veterans World Cup
Cricket
Solid fifties by three batsmen have been among the highlights for Namibia so far.
Team Namibia is bracing for another tough encounter on match day 3 of the Over-40 Cricket World Cup in Cape Town today, when they are weighed up against England.Despite some courageous individual batting performances, the Namibians have lost both of their opening pool matches against Canada and Australia so far, with one more encounter against Zimbabwe to come.
Captain Nicky Buys reached an unbeaten 99 runs (105 balls, nine fours, five sixes) as his side batted first against Canada on Monday and completed their 45 overs on 253 for seven.
Buys got together with Gerrie Snyman after a disastrous start (Namibia 16/4 after 6 overs), with former Namibian World Cup international Snyman getting into his stride as well, until he retired with an jury having scored 80 runs off 79 balls (11x4, 3x6).
Buys, who continued with the total 136/4, found more batting partners in Duane Viljoen (32 off 32 balls, 4x4) and Asad Abbas (16 off 26 balls, 1x4).
However, the Canadians had opener Sajit Gill (68 off 91 balls, 4x4 1x6) and especially their captain Vinay Devisetty to thank as they won the match by three wickets, with nine balls to spare. Devisetty contributed a century (103 not out) off 94 balls, which included 14 fours.
Nicky Buys was on song as a bowler as well, taking three wickets for 44 in eight overs. Pieter Meuwesen (2/54 in 8.3) also made breakthroughs, while Snyman (1/41 in 8) seemed to have recovered from his batting injury.
AUSSIE POWER
Australia laid down their favourites tag with a 146-run victory over Namibia on Tuesday.
Australia racked up 319/4 in their 45 overs, built around Luke Jackson’s 108 not out off 104 balls.
Gerrie Snyman bowled well to concede just 4.00 per over, taking 2/36 in 9.
Namibia’s top order was systematically decimated to 58/6 and 95/7, but Duane Viljoen fought back with 87 runs (91 balls, 8x4, 5x6) to give some respectability to the team’s total of 173 all out. Viljoen eventually found a partner in Rowan Erasmus (22 off 41 balls).