Zimbabwe held their nerve in a dramatic finish against Namibia in Windhoek, defending 195 by just five runs after the hosts produced a stunning late fightback in the third match of the T20I tri-series.
Zimbabwe recover from mid-innings collapse
Asked to bat first, Zimbabwe made an encouraging start as Ben Curran and Brian Bennett added 64 runs for the opening wicket. Bennett looked in good touch before falling for 32 off 21 deliveries on the final ball of the Powerplay. Namibia quickly gained control after that breakthrough. Dion Myers was dismissed by Bernard Scholtz, while Gerhard Erasmus produced a huge moment by removing Sikandar Raza for a golden duck.
Curran then departed in the ninth over, and Erasmus struck again to dismiss Wesley Madhavere. Suddenly, Zimbabwe had slipped from a promising position to 79/5. Just when Namibia appeared to have taken complete control, Ryan Burl and Brad Evans turned the innings around. The pair launched a remarkable counterattack, adding 94 runs in only 48 balls.
Burl was particularly destructive in the final over, smashing Erasmus for a six followed by three consecutive boundaries. Namibia’s decision to use spin at the death backfired badly as Zimbabwe collected 20 runs from the over to finish on 195/6.
Namibia collapse before stunning recovery
Namibia’s chase initially followed a familiar pattern. Louren Steenkamp was removed by Blessing Muzarabani in the third over, while Erasmus made a quick 12 before Brad Evans ended his stay.
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton briefly shifted the momentum with 20 from 13 balls, but Bennett struck twice in three deliveries, dismissing Loftie-Eaton and JJ Smit. Jan Frylinck‘s 22 from 29 balls could not halt Namibia’s slide, and when Ruben Trumpelmann was dismissed by Raza, the hosts were in serious trouble at 76/6.
With Namibia seemingly out of the contest, Zane Green and Alexander Volschenk produced one of the most remarkable partnerships of the match. Volschenk immediately attacked the bowling, taking two sixes off Masakadza in the 13th over. Green gradually found his rhythm, and together the pair combined powerful strokeplay with sharp running between the wickets.
Their seventh-wicket partnership exploded to 109 runs from just 49 deliveries, completely transforming Namibia’s position. With six wickets down, the hosts needed only 16 runs from the final over to pull off an extraordinary chase.
Brad Evans keeps his nerve in final over
Evans was entrusted with the final over and immediately faced pressure after delivering a no-ball. Namibia managed only two runs from the free hit, followed by another couple. The turning point came when Green attempted a quick single and was run out for 54 off 26 balls after Raza’s direct hit caught him short.
Volschenk kept Namibia’s hopes alive with a boundary but was dismissed for an outstanding 56 off 29 balls when he edged a wide delivery and wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani completed a superb one-handed catch. Namibia required nine from the final two balls, but Scholtz was run out attempting a desperate single. Evans then produced the perfect finish, bowling Jack Brassell for a duck to secure Zimbabwe’s dramatic five-run victory.
What a thriller ⚡
– Namibia came close to scripting a sensational comeback after a nightmare start to their chase ✋#ZIMvNAM #TriSeries pic.twitter.com/1AEgFd8P4G
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 1, 2026
