Namibia Beat Ireland by Five Wickets to Win ODI Series 3-2
Namibia beat Ireland by five wickets in the fifth and final one-day international in Windhoek on 1 November, taking the five-match series 3-2. BBC Sport Namibia reached their target with 172 balls still unused.
A one-day international, or ODI, gives each side 50 overs, which is 300 balls. Ireland won the toss and chose to bat first. They were bowled out for 129 in 33.1 overs, so their innings ended with more than 16 overs unused. An innings ends when ten batters are out, and Ireland ran out of batters long before their allotted overs were gone.
The damage with the ball came mostly from Namibia's JJ Smit, who took 4 wickets for 20 runs. Jack Brassell added three more. For Ireland, Matthew Humphreys took 2 for 48. Jordan Neill was the top scorer with 33 off 25 balls.
Namibia's reply was steady rather than rushed. They needed only 130 runs, and they lost five wickets along the way. Louren Steenkamp made 46 off 44 balls, and Gerhard Erasmus scored 30. Namibia finished on 131 for 5 in 21.2 overs, and Zane Green is credited with sealing the win. Hindustan Times
Ireland's captain, Lorcan Tucker, said after the defeat that his side had "learned a lot" from the series in Namibia. BBC Sport
The result shows how quickly an ODI can turn. Ireland's 129 looked like a total that needed defending, but the Namibian batters kept their wickets in hand and moved steadily towards the target. It was a reminder that a short total is only safe if the bowlers can keep taking wickets.
Namibia's team, known as the FNB Eagles, had already won the second match of the series by 31 runs at the Namibia Cricket Ground on 24 October. Cricket Namibia The final win on 1 November gave them the series.
For casual fans, the headline is simple. Ireland were bowled out early, Namibia chased the total down with plenty of time to spare, and the home side ended the series with a 3-2 lead it would not give up.
