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South Africa vs Namibia Match 6 Full Commentary
Result · Sep 04 2026, Fri - 05:30 PM (IST)
Match 6, - Namibia Cricket Ground
NAM 217/3 (20.0)
SA 228/4 (20.0)
South Africa beat Namibia by 11 runs
CRR:10.85
ஆட்டத்தின் சிறந்த வீரர்
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We are back for the all-important run chase. The umpires are back out in the middle and so are the players of South Africa. It will be the pairing of Louren Steenkamp and Jan Frylinck to open the innings for Namibia. Kwena Maphaka will get things underway with the ball. Let's go...
... The Run Chase ...
A bridge too far? Namibia need 229 runs to win and seal their place in the final, but the pressure is completely on them. Even with the ball, it looked like they were playing under pressure, and the first 11-12 overs were a real disaster. Dropped catches and plenty of fumbles in the field didn't help their cause either, but Jan Balt gave them a comeback route by picking up two quick wickets. Their pacers bowled pretty well at the death, but it just doesn't seem to be enough, and they will now need some magic with the bat. Stay tuned for the chase.
The openers run riot - It was a remarkable opening stand between Connor Esterhuizen and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, worth a whopping 156 runs in just 11.3 overs, when Esterhuizen got out for 88. Pretorius carried all the way to the final over and, after having missed out on a ton in the previous game, he made sure that he brought up that elusive three-figure mark in style. However, since that first wicket, the Proteas kept losing steam and managed to score just 41 runs in the final five overs, when at one stage breaching the 250-run mark looked a formality. Still, it is a very formidable total on the board, one which the bowlers will be conifdent of defending.
Huge total on the board - South Africa have mustered up 228 big runs, but they will feel it could have been, and should have been, even more. As for Namibia, it was a decent fightback at the death, but they are completely up against it at the halfway mark.
SOUTH AFRICA FINISH ON 228/4! Darts it on a flatter trajectory, on the stumps, Eathan Bosch cannot quite get the width on offer and bunts it straight back at the bowler. 13 runs in the final over.
Full around off stump, sliding in with the arm. Hermann swings across the line, and the ball catches an inside edge that runs away to the right of short fine leg for a single.
Jordan Hermann is in at number 6 for South Africa.
OUT! CLEANED HIM UP! A snorter from Erasmus, which brings an end to Pretorius' fun in the middle. Erasmus nails the yorker to perfection, coming in from a wider angle and darting it in on a lower trajectory. Pretorius is a fraction late getting his bat down in time, and the stumps go cartwheeling. Regardless, it's been a special innings, and he makes the walk back to a loud ovation from the crowd. South Africa are 227/4, with two balls left.
SIX! HUNDRED FOR LHUAN-DRE PRETORIUS! That's his maiden T20I century and he gets there, gallopping in just 52 balls. Full in length, in the wheelhouse, Lhuan-dre Pretorius clears the front leg, sits down on a knee and slog sweeps it powerfully over cow corner for a biggie to get to his milestone. He has surely given a very good account of himself to cement his place in the senior team.
BEATEN! Pushed through, slower through the air, full and wide outside off. Lhuan-dre Pretorius goes for a big-booming drive over covers, but misses out.
SIX! Career-best score now for Lhuan-dre Pretorius in the T20Is! Gerhard looks to go for the yorker, but lands nowhere near it. It is full in the slot and Lhuan-dre Pretorius pumps it out of the stadium, clearing long off for a mammoth six.
Slams it on a length, outside off, Lhuan-dre Pretorius chops it off the back foot to widish extra cover for a single. What a penultimate over from Ruben Trumpelmann. Just 4 runs and a wicket from it.
Excellent execution from Trumplemann. A length ball, slanted down leg side, following Pretorius as he backs away to create some room, and he ends up driving it straight back to the bowler.
A low full toss, on the stumps, this is smashed through mid off for a single.
Eathan Bosch walks out to bat next.
OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! A brilliant take from Green behind the stumps and this is turning out to be a very decent period of play for the hosts. Ruben bowls a slower length ball, angling it down the leg stump line. Rubin Hermann shuffles across the stumps and goes for the scoop shot but cannot time the ball and nicks it to the right of the keeper. Zane Green flies to his right and snaps it fantastically with his right hand while being airborne. The 41-run stand is broken for the third wicket and South Africa are 213/3, with 9 balls remaining in the first innings.
Bangs it short and on middle and leg. Rubin Hermann stands tall and heaves it between long on and deep mid-wicket for a couple of runs.
Play and a miss! Yorker down leg, Rubin Hermann shuffles far across the stumps to play the scoop shot but fails to connect.
Nearly a yorker, outside off, Rubin Hermann can only squeeze it down to long off for a single. Good couple f overs for Namibia towards the backend. Just 14 runs have come in the last two overs for the Proteas.
Fires it down leg, on a fuller length. Rubin Hermann tries the reverse scoop, but misses out to connect.
FOUR! Inventive and highly effective! Smit misses the yorker this time and bowls a full ball, on off. Rubin Hermann switches the stance, takes the ball on the full and nails the reverse ramp over short third for a boundary.
Another brilliant yorker from Smit, outside off, Lhuan-dre Pretorius does not get under the ball properly and shovels it to the right of cover for a single.
Well-executed yorker on off, Rubin Hermann carves it to long off for a single.
Slower and fuller, outside off. Rubin Hermann tries to pick the bones out of it to loft it downtown, but misses to connect.
JJ Smit is back on to finish his spell.
Spears in a full ball, on the stumps, Rubin Hermann drills it down to long on for a single.
Short and climbing onto the batter, Rubin Hermann hangs back and pulls it behind square on the leg side for a couple of runs.
Full on the pads, flicked firmly wide of mid-wicket for a run.
Brilliant work in the deep by Alexander Volschenk. He has been under the pump in the field tonight but he has saved a certain boundary here. Back of a length, short on off, Lhuan-dre Pretorius uses his wrists to swat it to the left of the deep mid-wicket fielder. Alexander Volschenk flings low to his left and manages to palm the ball in. Two runs taken and with that, the 200 is up for South Africa, with 21 balls still left in the innings.
That's a wrap - A fiercely competitive contest that ultimately came down to who cleared the ropes more often. South Africa struck 16 sixes to Namibia's 12, but in truth, Namibia were only a couple of big hits away from springing another shock on the Proteas. Still, they bow out of the tri-series having given a thoroughly good account of themselves, a statement that they are no longer just a name making up the numbers in world cricket, but a side capable of genuinely challenging the bigger teams. Well then, we have the two finalists of the tri-series as South Africa lock horns with Zimbabwe on Sunday, 6th September. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 12 pm GMT. But our buildup begins well in advance, so do join for that as well. Until then, take care, ADIOS!
The victorious captain of South Africa - Bjorn Fortuin says that it got a bit closer than they wanted to, but a win is a win and they will look to take the learnings from this game into the final. Goes on to applaud the South African openers for the way they played and is very happy with their performance. Also gives the bowlers their flowers, as they did well to hold their nerve and get the win. Ends by saying that they are looking forward to the final and will look to tweak a few things from today.
The captain of Namibia - Gerhard Erasmus calls it an awesome game of cricket, one he is glad the public got to witness. Namibia, he admits, leaked a few too many themselves and then struggled to find the runs in the closing stages of the chase. He gives credit to the openers for laying a solid platform, though concedes the finish simply didn't click. Even so, he expresses pride in the brand of cricket his side has been producing. In the end, he thanks everyone who turned up in support and reaffirms the goal of building a style of play that fans can watch and take genuine pride in.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - LHUAN-DRE PRETORIUS deservedly receives the award for his outstanding 101 (53). His innings included 8 sixes and 5 fours. Pretorius says that he feels pretty good about the win and they wanted to take it game by game. Goes on to say that Connor made it a lot easier for him at the start, and once he got out, he (Pretorius) could take over. Mentions that you need to ride the wave for as long as you can because you never know how long it might last. He ends by saying that he didn't have a chat with Heinrich Klaasen before this game, but followed his advice from the previous game.
... Time for the post-match Presentation ...
Openers feast at the top - The Namibian bowlers were taken apart by the South African opening pair of Connor Esterhuizen and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who put together a monstrous opening stand of 156. Namibia's fielding did them no favours either, with a couple of chances grassed along the way, and the openers made the most of it, dining out at the crease. There was a fightback of sorts later, with Brevis and Rubin Hermann both struggling to time the ball properly, but by then the early damage was already done. At the heart of it all was Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who brought up his maiden T20I century in style, an innings studded with eight towering sixes.
Need to tighten up the loose ends - South Africa wouldn't have imagined the margin of victory to be this razor-thin. But when it came down to the crunch, the contest boiled down to a simple question of who handled their nerves better, and on this occasion, the Proteas edged that battle. In an otherwise evenly matched game, that alone proved to be the difference. That said, it doesn't take away from the serious need for introspection over South Africa's underwhelming display with the ball today. They struggled to create any real inroads through the innings, and dare we say it, the bowling unit looked distinctly brittle. Nqobani Mokoena was the pick of the bowlers with a couple of wickets, but like others, he was also smashed to all parts of the ground. Their fielding fell below their own usual standards as well, and that's another area they will want to tighten up before turning up for the finale.
A valiant fight, but still not enough - Namibia breezed through the Powerplay of this mammoth chase without losing a wicket. Frylinck and Steenkamp punished anything loose to bring up their respective half-centuries and put the innings in a position of strength. Simelane eventually broke the 119-run stand, and though Steenkamp kept things ticking along with skipper Erasmus, South Africa found a few tighter overs that sent the required run rate soaring through the roof. Unfortunately for Steenkamp, he was forced to retire hurt after taking a couple of stinging blows. But Gerhard Erasmus and Ruben Trumpelmann kept the flame alive from there. In the end though, Namibia fell agonisingly short, just an arm's length away from getting over the line.
3.32 pm GMT - Aren't you entertained? What an admirable fight this has been from Namibia! And believe it or not, this is their first defeat against South Africa in T20Is. They scrapped, clawed, and refused to let go until the very last drop of blood, but in the end, it wasn't quite meant to be. South Africa, for their part, would have had their hearts firmly in their mouths through every twist of that run chase that pushed them to their limits. The Proteas do qualify for the finale of this tri-series, but they have a lot to reflect upon after an underwhelming bowling performance.
OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! An appeal for caught behind, and it's been given by the umpire. Nqobani Mokoena ends with a wicket, and South Africa win by 11 runs. Mokoena pitches the ball up around the fifth stump line. Ruben Trumpelmann gets across to shovel it leg side but gets an outside edge through to the keeper. Connor Esterhuizen makes no mistake with the gloves on and Namibia finish with 217/3, a valiant effort in the chase.
WIDE! Length ball, pitching it a long way outside the line of off stump. Left alone for a wide.
Very full, at the toes, jammed out wide of square leg for a single. That should be that.
A comedy of errors in the field from the Proteas. Full again around off, Ruben Trumpelmann drives it to long off and the batters push for two again. The fielder mops it up quickly and fires in a throw at the correct end, but the keeper misses the flick onto the stumps from a couple of yards out. The ball then rolls down to deep third and Erasmus sets off for the third run. Trumpelmann is struggling but this time, the bowler fails to collect the throw and in the end, Namibia get three runs.
Excellent again from the bowler, not conceding any boundaries. This is pitched fuller and well outside off, Trumpelmann leans across and drives it without much timing through extra cover, picking up a couple of runs.
Mokoena nails the wide yorker this time, and the batters again hustle back for two, which simply isn't enough at the moment. Full and wide outside off, driven wide of sweeper cover for a brace. 19 needed off 4 balls.
WIDE! Full and wide outside off, Mokoena tries to keep it out of the hitting arc but spills it beyond the tramline.
A low full toss at the stumps, Trumpelmann toe-ends it down to long on and the batters do well to scamper back for the second run. 22 needed off 5 balls.
Righto, 24 runs needed off the final over. South Africa will feel that they have got this one now. But they need to finish off well here. Nqobani Mokoena (3-0-31-1) will wrap it up.
Full and around off, Trumpelmann backs away early but can't get under it and hits it down to long off for a single.
FOUR! A slice of luck for Trumpelmann and Namibia here. 25 needed now off 7 balls. Maphaka jams in a yorker around the leg stump line. Trumpelmann makes a bit of room leg side and gets an inside edge that runs down to fine leg for a boundary.
SIX! Trumpelmann keeps Namibia in the fight, and the 200 comes up as well for Namibia. Slightly shorter, a bit slower too and angled into the batter. Trumpelmann just swings for the fences and gets enough on the pull to clear the man at deep square leg.
Another full ball, this time outside off. Erasmus jams it out to cover for just a single.
Half a shout for caught behind, but this might have clipped the pad. Gerhard Erasmus certainly isn't happy and feels that a wide should have been given. Full and at the pads, just slanting down leg. Erasmus looks to flick but misses.
Yorker length, darted in from around the stumps and at the pads. Trumpelmann misses the flick and the ball thuds off the pads behind point. They get a leg bye.
It's still not over yet, folks. Namibia need 37 off the last 12 balls, and realistically, they need to make this one count - something in the region of a 20 to 25-run over to give themselves a real chance in the final over. Kwena Maphaka (3-0-26-0) will bowl the penultimate over.
Full again, outside off, smashed down to long off for just a single by Ruben Trumpelmann.
Big, big wicket for South Africa at a crucial time. Ruben Trumpelmann is in at number 4, with Namibia needing 38 runs to win.
OUT! CAUGHT! Sounded sweet off the bat by JJ Smit, but it wasn't long enough. Nqobani Mokoena keeps it full and wide outside the off stump, asking the batter to hit to the bigger off side fence. Smit leans across and hammers it flat but straight towards Dewald Brevis at deep cover-point. Brevis makes no mistake and Namibia lose a wicket at an inopportune time.
Very full and outside off, Erasmus moves across early and mistimes the slog to long on, picking up a single.
DROPPED AND FOUR! A tough, tough chance and it is spilled by the fielder. Good length on middle, slightly pace off. Gerhard Erasmus goes across for the whippy shot again but gets a top edge down to fine leg. The fielder at short fine leg runs back and tries to take it awkwardly with the reverse cup. The ball hits the hands hard and rolls into the fence.