Eagles cause major upset
Asian Cup title holders humbled
The Namibians kept the highly-rated Asian batsmen from accelerating, with a disciplined bowling and catching performance.
Jan Frylinck’s contribution yesterday with bat and ball in hand made him man of the match and Cricinfo’s most valuable player of the game.
Yesterday, Namibia’s Richelieu Eagles (163/7 in 20 overs) caused a major upset by beating Sri Lanka (108 all out in 19), the T20 Asian Champions, by 55 runs in their first Group A match at the T20 World Cup at the Kardinia Park Oval in Geelong, Australia.
With the Sri Lanka hurdle safely behind the Eagles, things look bright for them to qualify for the Super 12 round where they will meet all the major test countries like Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
Pierre de Bruyn, head coach of Namibia, said: "I am speechless to say the least. What happened here today is global history. To beat the T20 Asian Cup Champions convincingly is a dream. Who would have thought it was possible?
"We have worked very hard the past 12 months and the players believe in themselves. This is the most clinical performance I have seen in the past four years from the Eagles.
“We will treasure this, we will absorb and appreciate it, but refocus on the games ahead.”
Historic game
The Lankan Lions won the toss and sent the Eagles in to bat first. Namibia’s first two wickets fell cheaply in the power play for a mere 12 runs.
With the opening pair of Divan la Cock (9 runs, 9 balls, 1x4, caught) and Michael van Lingen (3, 6 b, caught) dispatched, Nicol Loftie-Eaton (20, 12 balls, 1x4, 1x6, caught), Stephen Baard (26, 24 b, 2x4, caught) and captain Gerhard Erasmus (20, 24 b, caught) created a solid 78 run foundation for Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit to build on.
The duo’s 70 run partnership came from only 34 balls, creating havoc amongst the Lankan bowlers who at one stage conceded 18 runs per over. Frylinck smacked 4 fours from 28 balls for his 44 runs, while Smit chased 2 fours and two sixes from 16 deliveries for his unbeaten 31 to create history.
Fall of wickets: 1/6 (Van Lingen, 1.2 overs), 2/16 (La Cock, 3), 3/35 (Loftie-Eaton, 4.5), 4/76 (Erasmus, 11.5), 5/91 (Baard, 14), 6/93 (David Wiese, 14.2), 7/163 (Frylinck, 20).
Perfection
For Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan (2 wickets for 37 runs in 4 overs), Maheesh Theekshana (1/23 in 4), Wanindu Hasaranga (1/27 in 4), Chamika Karunaratne (1/36 in 4) and Dushmantha Chameera (1/39 in 4) were successful with ball in hand.
Of the Lankan batters, only Dhananjaya de Silva (12, 11 b, 1x4, caught Ben Shikongo, bowled Frylinck), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20, 21 b, 2x4, caught La Cock, bowled Bernard Scholtz), captain Dasun Shanaka (29, 23 b, 2x4, 1x6, caught Zane Green behind wicket, bowled Scholtz) and Maheesh Theekshana (11, 11 b, 1x6) could reach double figures with the bat.
Fall of wickets: 1/12 (Kusal Mendis, 1.4), 2/21 (Pathum Nissanka, 3.2), 3/21 (Danushka Gunathilaka, 3.3), 4/40 (Dhananjaya de Silva, 6.3), 5/74 (Rajapaksa, 10.3), 6/80 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 12.3), 7/88 (Shanaka, 14), 8/88 (Pramod Madushan, 14.2), 9/92 (Chamika Karunaratne, 15.2), 10/108 (Dushmantha Chameera, 19).
The brilliant and fierce onslaught by the Eagles' bowlers most certainly caught the Lankan batters off guard. Their first four batters were dismissed for 27 runs in 28 balls (4.4 overs) during the power play before Rajapaksa and Shanaka could give some kind of respect to their score.
Shikongo (2/22 in 3, 1 empty) was again at his best when he took two wickets within a few deliveries in the same over, while Scholtz (2/18 in 4), Frylinck (2/26 in 4), Wiese (2/16 in 4) and Smit (1/16 in 3) all bowled almost to perfection.
Yesterday, Namibia’s Richelieu Eagles (163/7 in 20 overs) caused a major upset by beating Sri Lanka (108 all out in 19), the T20 Asian Champions, by 55 runs in their first Group A match at the T20 World Cup at the Kardinia Park Oval in Geelong, Australia.
With the Sri Lanka hurdle safely behind the Eagles, things look bright for them to qualify for the Super 12 round where they will meet all the major test countries like Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, England, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
Pierre de Bruyn, head coach of Namibia, said: "I am speechless to say the least. What happened here today is global history. To beat the T20 Asian Cup Champions convincingly is a dream. Who would have thought it was possible?
"We have worked very hard the past 12 months and the players believe in themselves. This is the most clinical performance I have seen in the past four years from the Eagles.
“We will treasure this, we will absorb and appreciate it, but refocus on the games ahead.”
Historic game
The Lankan Lions won the toss and sent the Eagles in to bat first. Namibia’s first two wickets fell cheaply in the power play for a mere 12 runs.
With the opening pair of Divan la Cock (9 runs, 9 balls, 1x4, caught) and Michael van Lingen (3, 6 b, caught) dispatched, Nicol Loftie-Eaton (20, 12 balls, 1x4, 1x6, caught), Stephen Baard (26, 24 b, 2x4, caught) and captain Gerhard Erasmus (20, 24 b, caught) created a solid 78 run foundation for Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit to build on.
The duo’s 70 run partnership came from only 34 balls, creating havoc amongst the Lankan bowlers who at one stage conceded 18 runs per over. Frylinck smacked 4 fours from 28 balls for his 44 runs, while Smit chased 2 fours and two sixes from 16 deliveries for his unbeaten 31 to create history.
Fall of wickets: 1/6 (Van Lingen, 1.2 overs), 2/16 (La Cock, 3), 3/35 (Loftie-Eaton, 4.5), 4/76 (Erasmus, 11.5), 5/91 (Baard, 14), 6/93 (David Wiese, 14.2), 7/163 (Frylinck, 20).
Perfection
For Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan (2 wickets for 37 runs in 4 overs), Maheesh Theekshana (1/23 in 4), Wanindu Hasaranga (1/27 in 4), Chamika Karunaratne (1/36 in 4) and Dushmantha Chameera (1/39 in 4) were successful with ball in hand.
Of the Lankan batters, only Dhananjaya de Silva (12, 11 b, 1x4, caught Ben Shikongo, bowled Frylinck), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20, 21 b, 2x4, caught La Cock, bowled Bernard Scholtz), captain Dasun Shanaka (29, 23 b, 2x4, 1x6, caught Zane Green behind wicket, bowled Scholtz) and Maheesh Theekshana (11, 11 b, 1x6) could reach double figures with the bat.
Fall of wickets: 1/12 (Kusal Mendis, 1.4), 2/21 (Pathum Nissanka, 3.2), 3/21 (Danushka Gunathilaka, 3.3), 4/40 (Dhananjaya de Silva, 6.3), 5/74 (Rajapaksa, 10.3), 6/80 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 12.3), 7/88 (Shanaka, 14), 8/88 (Pramod Madushan, 14.2), 9/92 (Chamika Karunaratne, 15.2), 10/108 (Dushmantha Chameera, 19).
The brilliant and fierce onslaught by the Eagles' bowlers most certainly caught the Lankan batters off guard. Their first four batters were dismissed for 27 runs in 28 balls (4.4 overs) during the power play before Rajapaksa and Shanaka could give some kind of respect to their score.
Shikongo (2/22 in 3, 1 empty) was again at his best when he took two wickets within a few deliveries in the same over, while Scholtz (2/18 in 4), Frylinck (2/26 in 4), Wiese (2/16 in 4) and Smit (1/16 in 3) all bowled almost to perfection.
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