Historical! South Africa, featuring Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock and Nandre Burger, falls to Namibia in first-ever international clash | Cricket News
In their first-ever international encounter, Namibia recorded a remarkable victory against South Africa in a historic Twenty20 international match on Saturday, thanks to wicketkeeper Zane Green’s explosive performance late in the match. Green remained unbeaten on 30 runs, contributing 23 runs in the final two overs of this first-ever international clash between the neighboring African nations. Green’s breakthrough performance included a powerful hook shot for six off Andile Simelane’s first delivery in the final over, with 11 runs needed. He sealed the victory by hitting the last ball to the mid-wicket boundary.The match celebrated the inauguration of the Namibia Cricket Ground, which will serve as one of the venues for the 2027 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.“You can see what this means for the team and the crowd,” Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus said after leading his players on a victory lap in front of a capacity crowd. “The guys did it very skillfully.”South Africa fielded a weakened team as several key players, including regular captain Aiden Markram, were in Pakistan for an upcoming Test series in Lahore. Although all the players have international experience, they struggled against Namibia, who had recently qualified for next year’s T20 World Cup in India.“We weren’t good enough,” admitted South Africa’s stand-in captain Donovan Ferreira. He noted that their defense was hampered by fast bowler Gerald Coetzee’s chest muscle injury, forcing him off after bowling just nine balls.The South African innings got off to a bad start when Quinton de Kockmaking his first international appearance since the 2024 T20 World Cup, was dismissed for a single run in the opening match. The team struggled to gain momentum on the slow pitch, managing just 134 runs for eight wickets after opting to bat first.Ruben Trumpelmann, who started his cricket career in South Africa, took three wickets for 28 runs. Newcomer Max Heingo claimed two quick wickets, reducing South Africa to 65 for five in the eleventh over.The final scoreboard showed South Africa at 134-8 in their allotted 20 overs, with J. Smith scoring 31 runs and Trumpelmann taking three wickets for 28 runs. Namibia managed to achieve the target, finishing at 138-6 in 20 overs, with Green’s unbeaten 30 taking them to a four-wicket victory.Brief score: South Africa 134-8 in 20 overs (J. Smith 31; R. Trumpelmann 3-28) v Namibia 138-6 in 20 overs (Z. Green 30 not out)
