By Akanimo Kufre
The top ranked Namibian cricket team was under severe pressure before a sudden comeback to victory against the Junior Yellow Greens of Nigeria by 10 runs at TBS Cricket Oval in Lagos.
The Friday game of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers for Africa was thrilling as Nigeria fielders restrained Namibia to 93 runs with the loss of 9 wickets.
It took the effort of two last batters, Junior Taanyada and Max Heingo, to raise Namibia’s tally to 133 runs at 47.5 overs.
The second inning was perceived to be a walk in the park for Nigeria, especially with the brilliant batting of Ali Rahmon, who scored 53 run off 46 balls.
Sadly, Ali was sent out through captain Du Plessis bowling. After Ali’s dismissal, Nigeria’s tally was gradually dwindled and halted at 123 runs, all out in 40.2 overs. Unlike the Namibians, Nigeria’s last batters could not grab the victory they held in one hand.
The Namibian victory united captain Francois Du Plessis with his father Nico Du Plessis in a long embrace as Namibia fans jointly celebrated after the nerve-wracking match.
The younger Du Plessis told our reporter that the game was a great fight and Namibia was on course. “We showed a great fight, and our team never gave up. The good part of the game was our No. 10 and 11.”
Namibia’s Erik Lintvelt won the Player of the Match Award after taking 2 wickets and 5 maiden overs.
Captain Gafar Kareem, who still believes in Nigeria team’s targets, plans to dust off the dirt of the loss and correct their mistakes.
“At a point, we tried to enjoy the game, but it wasn’t in our favour. We tried to bounce back but failed. However, we are going to be victorious at the end of the tournament. We have learned more on how to approach each country, push aside our mistakes, and learn from the winning mentality”, he said.