* Aussie leggie Zampa impressive figures 4 for 12 (Match 24)
By Dwayne Ferreira
Australia successfully qualified for the next round of the T20 World Cup with their impressive 9 wicket win over Namibia in Group B.
Australia have now won three matches in a row in the competition and do not look like stopping any time soon. The men from down under bundled out the Nambians for 72 runs in the first 17 overs of the match in Antigua, with Adam Zampa dismissing 4 out of the 11 batters. Travis Head then slapped an unbeaten 34 alongside David Warner and Mitch Marsh, chasing down their target with a wollaping 86 balls to spare.
Australia, clear favorites going into the match after two exceptional performances against Oman and England, showcased once more why they are one of the more feared teams in the modern T20 game.
The pair of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins displayed outstanding skill with the new ball, dropping Namibia to 17 for 3 before Nathan Ellis joined the party, taking one more to make it 18 for 4.
A horrible start to the day to say the least, sadly for the Namibians this was only the tip of the iceberg. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus tried his best to keep Namibia’s hopes alive but thanks to Adam Zampa was only able to take his team’s total to 72.
Zampa slashed through the middle order, boasting figures of 4 for 12 at the end of his four over spell, while his mate Marcus Stoinis finished the job off in the 17th over by picking up 2 wickets for 9.
Having taken the Namibians batters to the cleaners, Australia’s opening batters decided that it was their turn to have some fun. Without showing any remorse for the already beaten Namibians, David Warner quickly clattered an 8 ball 20 before having to depart. Travis Head then carried on the onslaught alongside skipper Marsh, ending the match with an unbeaten 36 and 18 from Marsh to secure their place in the Super 8’s.
Chief Scores :-
Namibia – 72 for 10 in 17 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 36, Michael va Lingen 10, Ruben Trupelmann 7, Adam Zampa 4 for 12, Marcus Stoinis 2 for 9)
Australia – 74 for 1 in 5.4 overs (Travis Head 34*, David Warner 20, Mithcell Marsh 18*, David Wiese 1 for 15, Gerhard Erasmus 0 for 6)
Player of the Match – Adam Zampa (4 for 12)
