Daijiworld Media Network - Windhoek

Windhoek, Oct 12: Namibia produced a breathtaking performance to beat South Africa by four wickets in a last-ball T20I thriller, marking their historic maiden win against an ICC full member at the Namibia Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Playing their first international match on home turf, Namibia restricted the Proteas to 134 for eight. Despite a shaky start, the hosts chased down the target on the final ball, prompting a lap of honour to celebrate their achievement. Prior to this T20I, Namibia, an ICC Associate member, had never faced South Africa in any format.

The victory came after Namibia finally secured their own international cricket facility earlier on Saturday, which added motivation to their performance against a second-string South African side led by Donovan Ferreira. The main South African team, captained by Aiden Markram, is currently in Pakistan for a two-Test series followed by six white-ball games.

South Africa struggled, being reduced to 68/5 despite contributions from Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks. Jason Smith, playing only his second T20I, scored a brisk 31-ball 30 to add some respectability to the total. Namibia’s 27-year-old left-arm pacer Ruben Trumpelmann returned impressive figures of 3 for 28.

In reply, Namibia’s top order faltered, leaving the team at 66/4. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Zane Edward Green, playing his 72nd T20I, anchored the chase with an unbeaten 30 off 23 balls, while Trumpelmann contributed 11 off 8 deliveries. Namibia reached 138/6 on the last ball to seal a memorable victory.

Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus, ecstatic at hosting an international match for the first time, described the occasion as a “new dawn and new age for the sport” in the country.