Playing their first ever T20 World Cup, Namibia joined Sri Lanka to qualify for Super 12s after beating Ireland by eight wickets in Sharjah. They chased down a modest 126 in 18.3 overs, thanks to a half-century from Gerhard Erasmus.
Paul Stirling (38) and Kevin O'Brien (25) got Ireland off a great start, but the middle order could not maintain the tempo. Stirling played some early shots, while O'Brien took a sedate approach, hitting his first boundary only in the fifth over. By then, Stirling had struck three fours off Bernard Scholtz in the fourth over. Scholtz, however, had the last laugh, as he got Stirling in the eighth over. O'Brien too departed in the next over, reducing Ireland to 67/2.
The rest of the batters succumbed without a fight. Baring captain Andrew Balbirnie (21), no one managed more than nine. Jan Frylinck claimed three wickets, and David Wiese has had two to his name.
The Irish bowlers kept things tight early on, not letting Namibia off the hook. Curtis Campher provided them with the first breakthrough by getting rid of Craig Williams (15). Green, too, struggled to get going, for his 24.
Ireland needed more wickets, but Erasmus and David Wiese held the innings, and slowly, steadily, took the game away. Wiese smashed two sixes in the 15th over to as good as the game. Erasmus remained unbeaten on 53, and Wiese (28 off 14) scored the winning boundary.
Brief scores: Ireland 125/8 in 20 overs (Paul Stirling 38; Jan Frylinck 3-21) lost to Namibia 126/2 in 18.3 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 53*; Curtis Camper 2-14) by 8 wickets with 9 balls to spare. Player of the Match: David Wiese.