Gavin Hoey and George Dockrell bowled Ireland to a convincing 55-run victory over Namibia in Windhoek yesterday in the first of a five-match one-day international series against the south-west Africans.

Pembroke leg-spinner Hoey lived up to coach Gary Wilson’s billing as the man who can make a difference in the middle of an ODI innings and won man-of-the-match with figures of 3-29 from nine overs but it was all-rounder Dockrell who struck the vital blows.

When the under-used left-armer was thrown the ball at the start of the 23rd over, Namibia were 104-5 in pursuit of Ireland’s below par 229-9, with their most experienced pair Gerhard Erasmus and JJ Smit at the crease.

Seven balls from Dockrell and they were both gone.

Erasmus, by far the best batter in the home side’s line-up, may have been unlucky to have been adjudged lbw to a ball that appeared to strike him outside the line but the was no doubting Curtis Campher took a clean catch as he dived forward at short third to dismiss Smit.

Namibia had looked in control at the end of eight overs, reaching 48-0 in the absence of regular Ireland strike bowler Mark Adair.

Whether Wilson saw something during the Afghanistan series that persuaded him to go with an opening attack of Jai Moondra and Liam McCarthy, or whether the new coach was simply trying different combinations ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in February, the experience of Adair was missed.

Moondra did make the breakthrough in the ninth over, and also claimed the penultimate wicket, while McCarthy completing the job by clipping Ruben Trumpelmann’s off stump the ball after he’d reached 50, but it looks as though the series will be decided by spin.

“We’re delighted to come over to Namibia, play a team that knows the conditions well, and come out with a win,” skipper Paul Stirling said.

“We got off to a good start with the bat and we'll certainly review that and ask why we weren’t able to get to 250 minimum and maybe even push to 270, and if we’d got those sort of scores it would have been more comfortable.

“Gavin was class but we were a little bit loose with the new ball. In these conditions you've got to be accurate and that’s what Namibia showed really, really well.”

After losing the toss, Stirling top scored with 56 —his 33rd ODI half century for Ireland — and looked odds on to make his 15th century until he toe-ended a half-tracker to long on when he could have hit it anywhere in the ground.

Cade Carmichael scored a patient 45 from 80 balls and Harry Tector looked in good nick making 28 — including one mighty six over mid-wicket from another long hop — but accelerating proved just as difficult against the Namibia spinners as it did later.