Namibia and Netherlands renew T20 World Cup rivalry

Namibia came out on top when the two sides met at the 2021 T20 World Cup, going on to reach the Super 12s while the Dutch went home. After defeating Sri Lanka on Sunday, they're the favourites heading into this encounter

At the 2021 T20 World Cup, Namibia and the Netherlands met in Abu Dhabi for a crucial round one, group A clash.

The Netherlands had capitulated in their tournament opener, bowled out for 106 against Ireland en route to a seven-wicket defeat. Namibia, meanwhile, came unstuck against Sri Lanka, suffering a seven-wicket defeat of their own.

Their meeting on October 20 was a must-win clash for both sides. Sadly, for Pieter Seelaar, the points went to Namibia, who chased down 165 with six balls and six wickets to spare. Max O'Dowd scored a half-century for the Netherlands, but no one could match the firepower of David Wiese, who blasted a match-winning 66 runs off 40 deliveries, including five sixes.

For Namibia, the two points reignited their campaign and they went on to crush Ireland by eight wickets in Sharjah to secure second place in group A, a spot in the Super 12s and automatic qualification for the 2022 tournament. In the Super 12s, they were defeated by Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and India but beat Scotland by four wickets to avoid bottom spot.

^{Jan Frylinck starred with bat and ball for Namibia against Sri Lanka [Martin Keep/Getty Images]}

For Netherlands, the defeat, combined with Sri Lanka's 70-run win over Ireland, confirmed their exit from the tournament with a game to spare. They went on to lose to Sri Lanka by eight wickets, bowled out for just 44 runs, and had to navigate a global qualifying tournament in July to confirm their spot in Australia.

At the 2022 T20 World Cup, they will once again meet in the second round of fixtures in Group A, but this time, when they compete in Geelong on October 18 neither side are battling to keep their tournament hopes alive. Rather, having both won their opening fixture they are vying to put one foot in the Super 12s.

Namibia's position is perhaps the most unlikely of the two. They found themselves once again beginning a World Cup campaign against Sri Lanka but turned the tables on the Asia Cup champions, completing a stunning 55-run victory. It was a result built around an explosive seventh-wicket partnership between Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit which, in the space of 33 balls, changed Namibia's fortunes from 93 for 6 in the 15th over to 163 for 7 at close.

THE BIG MATCH

Who: Namibia v Netherlands

Where: Kardinia Park, Geelong

When: Tuesday, October 18 (3pm local, 5am BST)

Prediction: Namibia

A team bowling performance then skittled Sri Lanka for 108, with Wiese, Ben Shikongo, Bernard Scholtz, and Frylinck picking up two apiece, Smit returning 1 for 16, and Michael van Lingen and Zane Green combining to runout Pramod Madushan.

Defeat in this match would not be catastrophic for Namibia. Their 2.750 run rate gives them quite a bit of wriggle room and their final group match is against United Arab Emirates, a team they defeated by 17 runs in their only previous meeting (October 2021).

However, as the Netherlands nearly learned, you cannot afford to take your foot off the gas against the UAE. In fact, the Dutch came within a dropped catch of replicating their catastrophic start in 2021.

On that occasion, Curtis Campher picked up four wickets in four balls in the middle overs to derail their innings; in Geelong, Junaid Siddique picked up two wickets in three balls in the 14th (he would have had a third but CP Rizwan dropped Tim Pringle on nought) to ensure a nervy finish to proceedings.

^{Tim Pringle could cause a headache for Namibia after impressing against the Netherlands [Martin Keep/Getty Images]}

The Netherlands safely made it over the line with one ball to spare, captain Scott Edwards maintaining his composure to the end. But, it was far from a vintage performance from his side who, O'Dowd (23 off 18), looked rather frail with the bat despite being asked to chase just 112.

"We got carried away with trying to hit boundaries where they showed us in the first innings that it was quite hard to get those boundaries, so you've got to be busy," Edwards said afterwards, acknowledging Kardinia Park's massive boundaries. "We had a good powerplay but got carried away thinking it was going to be an easy win."

The contrast with the first innings was stark. With the ball, the Netherlands barely left cruise control. Aside from Logan van Beek's first over – which saw Muhammad Waseem hit back-to-back sixes – it was a controlled and disciplined display which exploded into life in the final few overs as five wickets fell for 11 runs. Bas de Leede (3 for 19) grabbed the headlines while Fred Klaassen (2 for 13) also impressed.

However, the player who could cause Namibia a headache is Pringle. The 20-year-old, son of former New Zealand international Chris Pringle, has proved himself to be a miserly left-arm spinner since making his debut in July. His economy after eight T20Is is 5.39, including figures of 1 for 24 (four overs) against New Zealand in August.

Against the UAE, he bowled 10 dot balls and didn't concede a boundary on his way to figures of 1 for 13, mixing up his lengths and speeds nicely to bamboozle the batters. He was busy in the field, patrolling the boundary with Klaassen, and held his nerve in a vital 27-run partnership with Edwards in the second innings.

"You can rely on his four overs; they're always going to be the same," Edwards said. "He knows his role perfectly. And with his batting, he's a powerful man. He didn't quite get all his shots as he would have like today but he was pretty calm and collected."