No longer minnows! Namibia stun Full Member Ireland to script historic ODI series win

Namibia created history on Sunday by winning their first-ever bilateral ODI series against a Full Member nation. They defeated Ireland by five wickets in the fifth and final ODI in Windhoek to seal the five-match series 3-2.

The historic victory is a big boost for Namibia ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, which they will co-host with South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Fast bowlers JJ Smith and Jack Brassell played a key role in the win, sharing seven wickets between them to bowl Ireland out for just 129 runs.

In reply, opener Louren Steenkamp scored 42 runs, while captain Gerhard Erasmus contributed 30 to guide Namibia to a comfortable five-wicket victory.

Erasmus was named Player of the Series after scoring 263 runs and taking four wickets across the five matches.

Smith received the Player of the Match award in the final ODI for his impressive bowling performance. He finished with figures of 4/20 in nine overs.

Ireland struggled with the bat, with only four players managing to score in double figures.

Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker admitted that his team failed to perform at the required level in the series decider.

“Obviously, it was a disappointing day for us,” Tucker said.

“We came here today excited about the opportunities with the series on the line, but I don’t think we quite rocked up from a skills perspective.

“We have learned a lot, but I think we’ve a lot to reflect on going forward.

“Credit to Namibia, they played diligent cricket and did that for longer periods of time than us – that’s why they won the series today.”

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Ireland have already secured their place in next year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier because of their position in the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings.

Namibia, meanwhile, are likely to have to qualify through the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off to secure their place in the tournament.