In front of a near-capacity crowd, the hosts beat South Africa off the final delivery to claim arguably the biggest win in the nation’s cricketing history.

South Africa batted first, but trouble struck early when the returning Quinton de Kock was caught for just four runs by Ruben Trumpelmann off the bowling of Max Heingo with the last ball of the opening over.

Donovan Ferreira and Gerhard Erasmus during the toss. Photo: Cricinfo

Not long after, former Knights opener Reeza Hendricks was dismissed by Trumpelmann for seven – the first of his three wickets.

Just past the halfway mark of the innings, the Proteas were in deep trouble at 68/5 after 10.4 overs, with Lhuan-Dré Pretorius, Rubin Hermann, and captain Donovan Ferreira all back in the hut. 

Jason Smith of the Dolphins top-scored for South Africa with 31 off 30 balls, while Lions spinner Bjorn Fortuin chipped in with an unbeaten 19 down the order as South Africa limped to 134/8 in their complement of 20 overs.

The Namibian bowlers were exceptionally disciplined, conceding only four extras – all wides. Trumpelmann was the pick of the attack with 3/28 in his four overs, while Heingo took 2/32 from three. JJ Smit was also tidy, returning figures of 1/23 in his four overs.

Jason Smith top-scored for South Africa. Photo: Cricinfo

In reply, Namibia made a steady start but struggled to build any meaningful partnerships up front as wickets fell at regular intervals. The Proteas’ bowling, however, was far less disciplined, conceding 18 extras – including seven leg-byes, two no-balls and nine wides – a costly lapse when defending a modest total of 134.

Captain Gerhard Erasmus made 21 off 21 balls, while Malan Kruger added 18. But it was wicketkeeper Zane Green who emerged as the hero of the day. 

With the scores level after 19.4 overs, Green struck a boundary off the final ball to seal victory. He finished unbeaten on 30, with Trumpelmann not out on eleven. Nandré Burger was the pick of the South African bowlers, taking 2/21 in four overs, while Andile Simelane claimed 2/28.

Ben Shikongo took 1/23 in three overs for Namibia. Photo: Cricinfo

The defeat came at a heavy price for South Africa, with fast bowler Gerald Coetzee suffering a suspected pectoral muscle injury. He will be assessed further.

South Africa appeared underprepared for the fixture, but what should concern the coaching staff is the poor shot selection with the bat and the lack of bowling discipline – at times bordering on complacency. 

Both areas will need urgent attention before the Proteas turn their focus to the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan, starting on 28 October in Rawalpindi.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek