Namibia’s seventh wicket put on 110, and then they lost four wickets in five balls
Zimbabwe defended 195 at Windhoek to win by five runs after Namibia lost their last four wickets inside the final over. Brad Evans finished with 37 not out and 3 for 41.
Sep 1, 2026
Namibia were 76 for 6 in the 12th over at Windhoek on 31 August, chasing 196, and the match was effectively finished. Then Zane Green and Alexander Busing-Volschenk added 110 in 49 balls and very nearly stole it. Namibia got to 186 with four balls left. They were all out for 190.
Four wickets went down in the last five deliveries of the innings. Green was run out by Sikandar Raza off the second ball of the final over for 54 from 26. Busing-Volschenk was caught by wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani two balls later for 56 from 29. Bernard Scholtz was run out by Brad Evans without facing a ball, and Jack Brassell was bowled by Evans off the last one. Zimbabwe won by five runs.
Both innings collapsed and both recovered
The symmetry of it was strange. Zimbabwe had been 101 for 6 in the 12th over of their own innings, having lost Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza and Ben Curran while adding 12 runs. Ryan Burl and Evans then put on 94 without being separated, off 48 balls, to finish on 195 for 6. Burl made 57 not out from 32 with seven fours; Evans made 37 not out from 24.
Namibia’s seventh wicket produced more than that, 110 off 49 balls, and it still was not enough. Green hit seven fours and two sixes in his 26 balls. Busing-Volschenk hit four sixes. Between them they took an entirely lost chase to within 16 runs with an over to go, which is the kind of passage that usually ends with the fielding captain out of ideas.
Evans bowled the last over with an extra man in the ring
Zimbabwe were docked for a slow over rate and had to bowl the 20th over with an additional fielder inside the circle. Sikandar Raza gave it to Evans, who had dismissed Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus in the fifth over. Sixteen were needed. Evans conceded a no-ball, then two off the first legal delivery, and after that Namibia lost their last four wickets while adding four runs.
Evans finished with 3 for 41 to go with his 37 not out and took both the player of the match award and Cricinfo’s MVP rating. Bennett was the most economical of the Zimbabwe bowlers with 2 for 8 from his single over. Erasmus took 3 for 46 with the ball and was out for 12.
Three teams, one win each
The tri-series has now produced three matches and three different winners. Namibia beat South Africa by 18 runs on 28 August, South Africa beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets on 29 August, and Zimbabwe have now beaten Namibia. All three sides sit on two points, separated only by net run rate: South Africa on plus 0.969, Namibia on plus 0.325, Zimbabwe on minus 1.505.
Each team plays the other twice before the final on 6 September, so there are three more group games to come and Zimbabwe have the worst of the run rate to repair. South Africa play Zimbabwe next at the same ground.