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World T20 2021 | Creating genuine chances, Namibia, Ireland seek another step towards Super 12s

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With a win and a defeat under their belt, it’s the net run rate that is presently keeping Ireland a place above Namibia in Group A. But, the two sides will now have a genuine opportunity to take another step towards the Super 12 stage. 

Well, Namibia would be riding high on confidence at the moment, courtesy of David Wiese, who played a blinder against Netherlands and helped his side etch their first World Cup win. Wiese along with captain Gerhard Erasmus helped Namibia come out of a tricky situation and eventually led them over the line. 

Ireland, on the other side, just lost their way in the middle against Sri Lanka despite picking up early wickets. After reducing the Asian side to 8/3, the Irish bowlers were hammered around the park as Sri Lanka posted 171/7 in 20 overs. 

The misery just didn’t end here for Ireland as they never really got into the groove and were bundled out for 101 in the 19th over losing the match by a huge 70-run margin. 

So, now the equation is such that Namibia will be coming into this game on the back of a scintillating win while Ireland will be under some pressure not because they suffered a defeat against Sri Lanka but the way they lost it. The beginning of the clash was pretty fascinating for the Irish fans but as the game progressed, the graph just went down. 

Nevertheless, as mentioned above, both sides have a genuine chance of giving themselves an opportunity and eye a Super 12 berth. 

Match Details

Match: NAM vs IRE, 11th Match, Group A, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2021

Date: Friday, October 22, 2021

Time: 3:30 PM

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

Telecast: Star Sports Network

Pitch Report

The pitch in Sharjah might have some aid for the batsmen and with the kind of batting lineups that the two sides possess, high-voltage drama can be expected. So, if you win the toss, elect to bat first and try to post a big total on the board. 

Davie Wiese- An asset

David Wiese probably put in all his experience at a time when it was most needed for Namibia. The right-hander just played a blinder of an innings and anchored the side to what wasn’t just their first World Cup win but probably the most important one to date. The team management would just want Wiese to continue what he did against Netherlands on Wednesday. 

But there are certain areas that the team needs to focus on. For starters, the bowling unit needs to pick wickets at regular intervals and prevent the opposition from cutting loose. 

Second, Namibia can’t just back upon Wiese or for that matter Erasmus with the bat. The other batters too need to chip in with some more runs and build partnerships so that the opposition isn’t able to dominate them at any given stage of the match. 

Ireland’s inconsistency with the bat

There have already been two occasions when the Irish batting unit showed signs of concern. During the chase against Netherlands, they started off in a decent manner but lost a couple of wickets in quick succession only to get much-needed resistance from Paul Stirling and Gareth Delany who eventually helped the side chase down a target of 107 runs. 

But the issues were soon exposed when Ireland were once again chasing a target. This time they were up against a relatively better bowling attack and were after a much bigger target as well and as a result the batting order just witnessed a huge collapse. The Irish team never really made a return after losing early wickets and were comprehensively defeated in the end. 

With the amount of cricket that some of the Ireland players have played, they now need to take the onus on themselves and hold the fort. 

Another important aspect is taking advantage of scalping early wickets. The Ireland bowlers did pick up wickets quite early in the innings but let the match slip away from their hands. 

Probable XI

Namibia: Stephan Baard, Zane Green (wk), Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Michael van Lingen, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz

Ireland: Paul Stirling, Kevin O Brien, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Gareth Delany, Curtis Campher, Harry Tector, Neil Rock (wk), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Joshua Little, Craig Young

CE Fantasy XI

Neil Rock, Kevin O Brien (VC), Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Striling, Gareth Delany, Gerhard Erasmus, David Wiese (C), JJ Smit, Joshua Little, Mark Adair, Bernard Scholtz 

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