By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, April 6 — USA and Namibia registered crucial wins in their respective matches to keep their hopes alive for the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. USA became the first team to secure their berth in the Qualifier by defeating Jersey in a thrilling encounter, while Namibia kept their hopes alive with a comfortable victory over Canada.
In the first match, the USA won the toss and decided to bat first, but they were restricted to just 231 runs in their allotted 50 overs. However, opener Steven Taylor held one end strong, stitching crucial partnerships with Saiteja Mukkamalla and Gajanand Singh to bail the team out of trouble. Nisarg Patel and Jessy Singh made vital contributions lower down the order to push the USA to a substantial total.
In reply, Jersey’s chase never took off as Ali Khan ran through the top and middle-order with a five-wicket haul inside the first six overs. Once Jenner was dismissed, Asa Tribe and Benjamin Ward put together a brilliant 97-run stand that gave Jersey hopes of mounting an unlikely comeback before the duo fell within a span of four overs as the USA wrested control. Julius Sumerauer and Charles Perchard took the attack to the USA and gave their side a glimmer of hope, but Ali Khan returned and picked up two wickets to finish with figures of seven for 32, helping the USA secure their berth in the Qualifier.
In the second match, Namibia won the toss and decided to bat first. Shaun Fouché and Nikolaas Davin got Namibia off to a solid start with a 63-run stand. Unfortunately, they failed to take advantage of the foundation laid as they kept losing wickets regularly. Fouché’s 83 added much-needed stability to the innings as he kept the scorecard ticking with the middle order. Once he fell, Zane Green and Pikky Ya France added 62 runs for the 7th wicket as Namibia posted a strong total of 267 for nine.
In response, Canada made a bright start to their chase but was pegged back by the early wicket of Aaron Johnson. Matthew Spoors and Pargat Singh steadied the ship, but the wicket of the opener triggered a mini-collapse, which Canada never managed to recover from. Ravinderpal Singh’s 34 batting at number eight only delayed the inevitable as Canada was bowled out for 156, 111 runs shy of the target.
With these results, the USA has become the first team to book their place in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. Namibia, on the other hand, has kept their hopes alive and will need to win its remaining matches to have a chance of qualifying for the Qualifier. The competition is heating up, and the remaining matches are expected to be exciting, with every team fighting for a place in the Qualifier. – Namibia Daily News
