It took a blink of an eye for Scotland to surrender against Afghanistan in their last fixture in the T20 World Cup.
The Scotland batting lineup was just rattled by the Afghan spinners, Mujeeb and Rashid as the two shared a total of 9 wickets out of the ten. Well, the side can’t really do much about that dismal performance and can only move forward.
Captain Kyle Coetzer had also stated that the side needs to keep the faith in the players.
“We have a great bunch of players and belief in the side. Belief among the players is key. It's not like we'll be locked up in separate rooms. We'll come together in the hotel. We have to keep moving forward,” Coetzer said post the game against Afghanistan. They will now up against Namibia on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
Namibia probably emerged as a surprise package during the preliminary round after they defeated Netherlands and Ireland (A team with the Test status) to march in the Super 12s. While they were delighted to make it through to the next phase of the global tournament, the way they clinched victories against the two sides was just impeccable.
The Gerhard Erasmus-led side first defeated Netherlands by 6 wickets and then Ireland by 8 wickets respectively to leave an impression that they were up for the bigger challenges.
Match Details
Scotland vs Namibia
Match - 21, Super 12 Group 2, ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021
Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Telecast: Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar
Pitch Report
The tracks in Abu Dhabi have generally favoured the team batting second in this tournament. Barring the clash between Sri Lanka and Ireland, the sides chasing a target have been successful so far in the competition.
Moreover, the venue isn’t alien to Namibia as they played against Netherlands in Abu Dhabi and clinched a comfortable win in the end. The bowlers might get some aid from the track in the early stage. So, if you win the toss, bowl first.
The only way is to move forward for Scotland
Scotland suffered a major batting collapse against Afghanistan in the previous game, a performance that would haunt them for some time. But now the only way to overcome that disappointment is by turning the fortunes for themselves.
A lot would depend upon opener George Munsey, captain Coetzer and middle-order batsman Richie Berrington. Munsey and Coetzer have enough experience of playing T20 cricket and the team would want them to provide a steady start to the side.
Berrington who has scored runs for the team in this tournament will have to capitalise on the starts provided by the two openers.
Apart from this, the bowlers too need to keep a check on opponents’ scoring-rate, a trick that they missed out in the last match.
Perfect bid from Namibia on David Wiese
Namibia have certainly made a fine bid after David Wiese joined the side and has provided the resistance and stability. Wiese has been instrumental in winning some important matches for Namibia especially the last two where he anchored the side to important wins.
While he scored a brilliant half-century against Netherlands, the right-hander held the fort at the other end against Ireland as captain Erasmus did the hard task.
The combination of Erasmus and Wiese can be a formidable one.
Probable XI
Scotland: George Munsey, Kyle Coetzer (c), Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Chris Greaves, Mark Watt, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Bradley Wheal
Namibia: Zane Green (wk), Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
CE Fantasy XI
Matthew Cross, Kyle Coetzer, George Munsey, Calum MacLeod, Gerhard Erasmus, David Wiese (C), Richie Berrington (VC), JJ Smit, Safyaan Sharif, Josh Davey, Bernard Scholtz