Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus hopes to continue winning form in T20 WC after dramatic win over Oman

BRIDGETOWN: Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus is hopeful of continuing their excellent form in the ongoing T20 World Cup after Namibia scored 21 runs in Super Over against Oman and defended it to start their tournament campaign with a dramatic victory.

Oman's fightback in the death overs went in vain as David Wiese's heroic efforts both with bat and ball in the Super Over helped Namibia start their T20 World Cup campaign with a win in a low-scoring enthralling match here at the Kensington Oval.

Wiese emerged as the hero for Namibia with both bat and ball as he slammed 13 in the Super Over and came back to bowl, got a wicket, defending 21 runs. Despite reducing Oman to 109 in 20 overs, Namibia did not have it easy as the game finished in a tie, marking the first Super Over in a men's T20 World Cup tournament since 2012.

"Difficult to get momentum through the innings, we tried by getting the singles and doubles but every now and then we needed those boundaries which were difficult to execute. On a pitch like that, you need to take responsibility after batting 15-20 balls, and you shouldn't allow new batters to face," Erasmus said in a post-match presentation.

In the Super Over, Wiese and Gerhard Erasmus took advantage of Bilal Khan's pace, hitting four boundaries to score 21 runs for Namibia.

Wiese scored 13 runs off four balls with the bat in the first super over, then bowled brilliantly, limiting Oman to only ten runs to win.

"In the Super Over, we proved that there are runs to be had if you just assess the pitch well and take responsibility. David was up in the change room and he was very clear that he wanted to bowl the Super Over," Erasmus added.

"Happy to break the duck and get through in this tournament. We were very excited to come here and play in this competition, hopefully, we can continue this form," he added.

Coming to the match, after labouring to chase down 5 runs in the last over of a never-ending chase, Namibia came out firing in the Super Over. Seasoned all-rounder Wiese demonstrated his power-hitting ability by hitting a six and four against Bilal Khan, before skipper Erasmus smashed two boundaries. Namibia scored 21 runs, the highest total in a Super Over in a men's T20 World Cup competition.

Wiese excelled with the ball after being tasked with bowling the Super Over for Namibia. He took a wicket and gave only 10 runs as Namibia won the Super Over by 11 runs, kicking off their World Cup campaign with a victory.