Zimbabwe beat Namibia by five runs as both sides break seventh-wicket records

Zimbabwe beat Namibia by five runs at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek, holding on through a final over that swung twice. Zimbabwe made 195 for 6. Namibia were bowled out for 190. It is Zimbabwe's first win of the T20I tri-series.

Both innings ran the same course. A collapse, then a seventh-wicket stand that almost rewrote the result. The ICC reported that each of those partnerships set a national T20I record for the seventh wicket.

Burl and Evans rebuild from 79 for 5

Ben Curran and Brian Bennett put on 50 inside five overs, according to the ICC, and Zimbabwe reached 64 without loss. Bennett went for 32 from 21. The ICC then has Zimbabwe sliding to 76 for 4 and 79 for 5, Gerhard Erasmus removing Sikandar Raza first ball with a low Jan Frylinck catch.

Curran made 38 from 22. Ryan Burl and Brad Evans came together and added 94 from 48 balls. Burl finished 57 not out from 32. Evans was 37 not out. Erasmus was the pick of the Namibia attack with 3 for 46, and Max Heingo, Bernard Scholtz and JJ Smit took one each.

The Namibia counterattack

Namibia lost Louren Steenkamp to Blessing Muzarabani and Erasmus to a Bennett catch, the ICC reported, and were 34 for 2 after the Powerplay. Wellington Masakadza then removed Frylinck for 22. Bennett had Smit for 6. Namibia were 76 for 6.

Zane Green and Alexander Volschenk went after it from there. Green made 54 from 26. Volschenk hit 56 from 29. The size of their stand is not agreed between sources: the ICC puts it at 110 from 51 balls, Yardbarker at 109 from 49.

• Zimbabwe 195 for 6 from 20 overs
• Namibia 190 all out from 20 overs
• Ryan Burl 57 not out from 32, Brad Evans 37 not out from 25
• Ben Curran 38 from 22, Brian Bennett 32 from 21
• Alexander Volschenk 56 from 29, Zane Green 54 from 26
• Gerhard Erasmus 3 for 46; Evans 3 for 41 and Bennett 2 for 8, per Yardbarker

The final over

Namibia needed 11 from five balls. Raza ran Green out with a direct hit, the ICC reported. Tadiwanashe Marumani then held a one-handed catch to remove Volschenk. Two more wickets fell, one of them another run-out.

Green was blunt afterwards. "When you cross that rope, you have to back yourself and the result would take care of itself," he said. Burl was less satisfied with the finish. "We should have finished that game long before. Namibians are fighters and credit to those batters," he said. Both sets of comments were carried by the ICC.

Two records in one match

Records for the seventh wicket rarely arrive in pairs. Zimbabwe's 94 and Namibia's stand of about 110 both qualified, the ICC reported. Yardbarker puts Evans at 3 for 41 with the ball and gives Bennett 2 for 8.

Geo Super reports all three teams on two points, with Zimbabwe bottom on net run rate. South Africa are the third side in the tri-series. Zimbabwe finally have points on the board.