Cricketer Bernard Scholtz became the world’s leading one day international (ODI) bowler this year when he played a starring role in the FNB Namibia Eagles’ 24-run victory against Canada on Tuesday.
Scholtz took four wickets for 31 runs to take his ODI tally to 26 wickets this year and overtake Matt Henry of New Zealand, who has taken 24 wickets.
Scholtz once again made a priceless contribution to Namibia’s victory with his deadly accurate bowling, while the Eagles’ recent resurgence continued under new coach Craig Williams.
Namibia posted a formidable 261 for eight wickets off their 50 overs, with Malan Kruger scoring 80 and Jan Frylinck 60, and then in a tense culmination to the match Scholtz led a disciplined Namibian bowling onslaught as Canada were dismissed for 237.
It was Namibia’s second victory against the home team on their Canadian tour, and coupled with a draw against Scotland after their first encounter was rained out, Williams is now still unbeaten after his first three matches in the hot seat.
After the match he, however, said they can still do better.
“We are very glad to get a win and to get the two points. We didn’t play our best cricket and we gave Canada quite a few opportunities to get back into the game, but, fortunately, we were able to pull it back, stay in it and take it deep,” he said.
“There were good performances by Malan with 80 runs and, obviously, Bernard Scholtz with four wickets at the back end, but all in all it was a good team performance,” he added.
After being sent in to bat Namibia got off to a great start as all their top order batters weighed in with solid contributions. Openers Malan Kruger and JP Kotze got off to a slow start but laid a solid foundation, and when Kotze was dismissed for 38, they had put on 75 runs off 20 overs.
Jan Frylinck stepped up the tempo, hitting some big sixes, including 17 runs off Kaleem Sana in the 39th over, but he was soon dismissed by Pargat Singh for 60 going for another big hit and being caught in the deep.
His 60 came off only 52 balls and included one four and five huge sixes.
Captain Gerhard Erasmus weighed in with a rapid 18 off 14 balls, and Nicol Loftie-Eaton with 24 off 11, while Kruger was eventually dismisssed for 80 off 132 balls (4×4, 1×6).
Akhil Kumar with three wickets for 47 runs, and Jaskaran Singh with 3/71 were Canada’s best bowlers.
In reply, Canada got off to a solid start but Namibia’s spin duo of Scholtz and Erasmus struck in quick succession to reduce them to 61 for three wickets.
Canada captain Nicholas Kirton revived their hopes with a great knock, sharing a 85-run fourth wicket partnership with Shreyas Movva to bring them right back into contention.
JJ Smit, however, got the breakthrough, dismissing Kirton for 46, as the momentum shifted back to Namibia.
Pargat Singh (40) and Saad Zafar (30) kept Canada in the hunt but Namibia’s bowlers maintained the pressure with regular wickets. They eventually won a tense match quite comfortably in the end.
Scholtz was Namibia’s star bowler with his four wickets, while Smit took 3/40.
Namibia remain sixth on the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 log on 19 points but they are now just one point behind Canada, and five behind Oman.
The United States and The Netherlands remain on top on 28 points each, followed by Scotland (27), whom Namibia take on in their final match in Canada tomorrow.
Scotland have held the upper hand over Namibia in recent years, winning seven of their eight ODI matches since 2022, but Williams said they are looking forward to the game.
“We will have to be more clinical against Scotland and we need to be a lot more accurate with our bowling, especially in the first ten overs, but we are in a good space and looking forward to the match,” he said.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
