David Wiese was nearly the hero as he and Ruben Trumpelmann dragged their side back from 69 for 7 but Namibia were left to rue their poor start with the bat and the late fireworks of CP Rizwan and Basil Hameed in the first innings
Geelong: United Arab Emirates 148-3, Namibia 141-8 - United Arab Emirates won by seven runs
There was jubilation and heartbreak in equal measure in Geelong as the United Arab Emirates defeated Namibia by seven runs.
For the UAE, the result represents their first ever victory at a men's T20 World Cup, ensuring they leave Australia on a high. Namibia, however, were eliminated from the tournament, with the Netherlands progressing through to the Super 12s alongside Sri Lanka.
Scott Edwards' side had earlier lost to Sri Lanka by 16 runs, meaning a victory for Namibia – two points behind in third place but with a superior net run rate – would have eliminated the Dutch.
Namibia made a nightmare start to their chase of 149, losing three wickets inside the powerplay. Junaid Siddique accounted for Stephen Baard (caught Ahmed Raza) in the second over before Basil Hameed struck twice in two overs to remove Michael van Lingen (caught Alishan Sharafu) and Nicol Loftie-Eaton (lbw): Namibia 26 for 3.
And things only went from bad to worse, with the introduction of Karthik Meiyappan yielding two wickets in the space of four deliveries in the eighth over. The 22-year-old bowled captain Gerhard Erasmus for 16 (18) while JJ Smit was runout at the non-striker's end after a mix-up with Jan Frylinck.
Muhammad Waseem was the star for the UAE, scoring a half-century and later providing an unlikely death bowling masterclass [Martin Keep/Getty Images]
Wiese and Frylinck temporarily stopped the flow of wickets, putting on 21 runs for the sixth, but Zahoor Khan made an immediate impact on his return to the attack. He struck twice in four balls, removing for Frylinck and wicketkeeper Zane Green, to reduce Namibia to 69 for 7 with 80 required off 44.
The turning point came in the 16th over when a mis-field from Siddique gifted Wiese a four. Ruben Trumpelmann finished Meiyappan's over, which cost 18 runs, with a four and a six to reduce the equation to 46 off 24.
Wiese should have been dismissed in the 17th but was dropped by Muhammad Waseem off his own bowling. He brought up his half-century off 31 balls in the next over.
Zahoor bowled an economical penultimate over to leave Namibia needing 14 off 6 before Waseem made amends for his earlier drop, conceding just six runs and picking up the wicket of Wiese - caught in the deep by Sharafu for 55 (36) - to seal a dramatic win.
David Wiese was nearly the hero for Namibia [Martin Keep/Getty Images]
Earlier, the UAE made it through the powerplay without losing a wicket but found scoring difficult, amassing just 30 runs, including one four and one six.
Namibia made a breakthrough in the ninth over, Bernard Scholtz removing Vriitya Aravind (caught van Lingen) for 21 (32), but fellow opener Waseem continued to plug away.
Together with CP Rizwan, he put on 58 (41) for the second wicket to carry his side to the brink of three figures. He brought up his half-century off 40 balls with a single in the 15th over but fell to Ben Shikongo (caught Trumpelmann) off the next delivery he faced, failing to disguise his frustration as he departed.
Sharafu (4) soon joined him in the dugout, caught behind by Green off Wiese, before Rizwan and Hameed sparked the match into life. The pair combined for a 35-run fourth-wicket partnership off just 18 deliveries at the death, including dispatching Smit for 21 runs off the final over, as the UAE closed on 148 for 3.
Rizwan was unbeaten on 43 off 29, including three fours and one six, while Hameed's knock of 25 not out (14) included two fours and two sixes.