Rare feat helps Namibia keep World Cup dream alive

Namibia have held on for a four-wicket win over Scotland in their T20 World Cup clash in Abu Dhabi after seamer Ruben Trumpelmann's stunning opening burst.

Left-arm seamer Trumpelmann (3-17) remarkably took three wickets in the first over of the match, the first man ever to do so in a T20 international, before Michael Leask (44 off 27 balls) helped Scotland post a modest 8-109 from their 20 overs.

It was another disappointing batting effort by Scotland who were skittled for 60 in a 130-run defeat to Afghanistan in their opening Super 12s match in Sharjah on Monday.

Namibia made heavy weather of the chase on a tricky pitch before JJ Smit (32 not out) and David Wiese (16) steadied to ensure they secured victory with five balls to spare.

Image Id: 943D5432221B48659D1961563F516ED3 Image Caption: Trumpelmann celebrates his dream first over // Getty

"Ruben sets high standards for himself. He hadn't quite hit the straps earlier, but today he did and he started off well for us to throw the first punch," said Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus.

A second straight loss effectively ends Scotland's hopes of making the semi-finals.

They never really recovered after Trumpelmann's stunning opening burst.

In the absence of injured skipper Kyle Coetzer, Scotland lost opener George Munsey first ball when he played on before Calum MacLeod was caught behind off the third delivery.

Trumpelmann then trapped Richie Berrington in front to secure the third duck of the innings and leave Scotland reeling at 3-2.

"I was nervous out there, but I thought, it's the World Cup, so why not enjoy it - luckily it went my way today," player of the match Trumpelmann said.

Craig Wallace was bowled by David Wiese (1-22) to make it 4-18 in the sixth over before Matthew Cross and Leask steadied the ship.

Image Id: 11CFC95BF4D947D1B7EDF385A88C86D8 Image Caption: Namibia have won three of their four games at the World Cup // Getty

The pair put on 39 before Cross was bowled by Jan Frylinck (2-10) for 19.

At 5-57 in the 12th over, Scotland dug in to at least give their bowlers something to defend.

Namibia made a solid start to their run chase before opener Michael van Lingen fell to Safyaan Sharif for 18 in the sixth over.

By the 13th over they were 4-67, with Zane Green (nine), Gerhard Erasmus (four) and opener Craig Williams (23) struggling to make an impact.

However, Wiese and Smit carried the side to the brink of victory by putting on 35 for the fifth wicket.

After some anxious moments, Smit finally sealed the win with a six over point off the first ball of the final over to spark jubilant celebrations. 

Namibia next face Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, while Scotland take on New Zealand in Dubai on November 3.

2021 Men's T20 World Cup

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How the teams are grouped

Round 1

Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia

Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, Oman

Super 12s

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia