Champions! South Africa Beat Zimbabwe To Claim T20I Tri-Series Crown in Windhoek
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Hermann Stars as Proteas Clinch Namibia Tri-Series Title
After a poor start to the series, which saw them lose their opening match by 18 runs, South Africa bounced back in style, going unbeaten through the remainder of the tournament, capped off with a 48-run victory over Zimbabwe in the final in Windhoek on Sunday afternoon that confirmed our cricket predictions.
Batting first after winning the toss at the Namibia Cricket Ground, the Proteas posted an imposing target of 2055 in their 20 overs, with rising star Jordan Hermann leading the charge from the front, scoring 53 runs off just 29 deliveries.
Hermann’s knock at the top of the innings was his career-best for the national team!
The 24-year-old opener’s half-century included eight 4s and a six before he departed through a miscued shot off Brad Evans’ bowling and a catch from Ryan Burle. Despite this, Hermann was still named Player of the Match for his decisive contribution with the bat.
Following his dismissal, South Africa received key contributions further down the order, with Dewald Brevis smashing 32 runs off 23 balls, while Rubin Hermann and Duan Jansen added 50 runs combined, with the latter ending the innings on an unbeaten 23 (14).
Zimbabwe’s chase quickly descended into trouble as they slumped to 25/4 inside the first four overs following the wickets of Ben Curran, Brian Bennett, Innocent Kaia, and Wesley Madhevere. Their woes continued as they fell to 81/8, effectively ending their hopes of reaching the target.
Evans did his best to mount a fight back late on, producing an excellent knock of 56 from 31 balls, including fours 6s and four 4s. He shared a 52-run ninth-wicket partnership with Kundai Matigimu, but that innings was eventually ended in the 18th over, with the team on 157 runs.
Proteas Squad Announced for South Africa vs Australia ODI Series
With the Namibia Tri-Series now complete, South Africa have just over two weeks before their home ODI series against Australia, and Cricket South Africa have announced a near full-strength squad for the tour, with Temba Bavuma set to lead the Proteas into battle against their fierce rivals.
Notably, the final squad includes experienced batsmen David Miller and Quinton de Kock, underlining their continued importance to South Africa’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup, despite neither player currently holding a central contract.
Star paceman Kagiso Rabada will miss the series as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, which sees Gerald Coetzee earn a recall to the ODI squad, and he is in line to make his first appearance in the format for the national team since the 2023 World Cup.
