JJ SMIT scored his maiden century as Namibia scored an 18-run victory against Easterns in their CSA 50-over match in Benoni on Saturday.
The previous day Easterns had completed a massive victory by an innings and 155 runs in their Sunfoil 3-Day Cup match, but Namibia struck back with a confidence-boosting victory the following day.
In Saturday’s 50-over match, Namibia’s top order crumbled against Easterns’ bowling attack as they collapsed to 31 for five wickets, but their fortunes changed when Smit stepped to the crease.
The big-hitting all-rounder attacked Easterns’ bowling from the start and along with Zhivago Groenewald they resurrected Namibia’s innings with a great century partnership.
They put on 146 runs for the sixth wicket before Groenewald was dismissed for 58 which included seven fours and one six.
Smit continued to flay the Easterns’ bowlers and went on to reach his maiden century off only 101 balls.
He was eventually out off the last ball of the innings for 120 which came off 115 balls (10 fours, five sixes) as Namibia reached 263 for eight wickets off their 50 overs.
In Easterns’ run-chase, Namibia got an early breakthrough when Vaughan Humphrey was dismissed by Tangeni Lungameni for two, but Wesley Marshall and Ernest Kemm put Easterns on track with an 89-run partnership.
Schoolboy Michael van Lingen dismissed Kemm for 29, while Marshall went on to top-score with 81 before he was dismissed by Mika Mutumbe.
Further down the order Wesley Coulentianos added 41 but Namibia’s bowlers kept the pressure on with regular wickets and eventually dismissed Easterns for 245 runs – 18 short of the target.
Van Lingen was Namibia’s top bowler, taking three wickets for 37 runs, while Christopher Coombe took two for 42.
On Friday, Namibia crashed to their third innings-defeat in a row in the Sunfoil 3-Day Cup when they lost by an innings and 155 runs to Easterns.
Namibia’s batsmen once again failed dismally as they could only manage to post innings’ of 140 and 110 runs, in reply to Easterns’ first innings total of 405 for seven wickets declared.
In Namibia’s first innings, Stephen Baard top-scored with 57 runs off 60 balls (8×4, 2×6) but he received little support as the whole team was out for 140 off only 43 overs.
Tabraiz Shamsi (four wickets for 38 runs) and Junior Dala (3/370 were Easterns’ best bowlers.
In Easterns’ innings, Mika Mutumbe got two early wickets and when Danie van Schoor ran out Wesley Marshall for a duck, Easterns had crashed to 29 for three wickets.
Jurie Snyman and Wesley Coulentianos however put Easterns in control with a massive 270-run partnership.
Snyman went on to score 144 and Coulentianos 171 before Easterns declared at 405 for seven wickets.
Things went even worse in Namibia’s second innings as the whole side was out for only 110 runs.
JJ Smit (26) and Stephen Baard (24) were Namibia’s top batsmen while Junior Dala was Easterns’ top bowler with five wickets for 24 runs.
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