Namibia Pull Off Stunning Upset To Beat South Africa in Tri-Series Opener
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Brevis Knock Goes in Vain As Proteas Fall to 18-Run Defeat
Namibia secured a memorable 18-run victory over South Africa in the opening match of their home tri-series in Windhoek, which also confirmed our cricket predictions.
Put in to bat first at the Namibia Cricket Ground, the Eagles reached a modest total of 163/9 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks in large part to opener Jan Frylinck, who scored an impressive 60 runs off 38 balls at the top of the innings.
In response, the Proteas lost both their openers, Jordan Hermann and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, inside the powerplay. Dewald Brevis did his best to try and steady the ship for the visitors with 75 runs off 50 deliveries, which included five 6s and four 4s.
However, South Africa’s middle order failed to provide the necessary support for Brevis, with none of Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Connor Esterhuizen and Bjorn Fortuin able to surpass the 15-run mark. South Africa only managed 145/9 in their 20 overs. Speaking after the match, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said:
“I think this is very important in the sense that it shows that we do belong, and it (their previous victory over RSA) wasn't a once-off. So we've shown it on home turf now as well, not only World Cups and last year's win, we've shown on home turf that we can be a consistent cricketing team in this format and compete with the best.”
Namibia and South Africa have now met just twice in T20Is, with the Eagles emerging victorious on both occasions. South Africa will now face Zimbabwe tomorrow, while Namibia will take on the Chevrons on Monday, August 31 here in Windhoek.
Zimbabwe Recall Graeme Cremer for South Africa Clash
Zimbabwe have recalled experienced leg-spinner Graeme Cremer for their opening match of this T20I tri-series, while Sikander Raza has been named as captain of the 15-man touring squad.
The 39-year-old spinner is back with the national team after overcoming a left-arm injury that kept him out following the 2026 T20 World Cup. Cremer made his international return at the global tournament in February, ending a seven-year absence from Zimbabwe duty.
The Chevrons are set to be without two key fast bowlers, with Test and ODI captain Richard Ngarava continuing his recovery from a lower-back issue, while Tanaka Chivanga sustained an Achilles injury during training in the lead-up to this series and requires surgery.
Brendan Taylor is another notable absentee from Zimbabwe’s T20I squad. He last featured in the shortest format against Oman at the World Cup and subsequently was overlooked for the T20I series against Bangladesh and India, though he remains part of the Test setup.
