Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus was the match-winner as the hosts levelled the five-match one-day international series against Ireland, winning the second match in Windhoek by 31 runs.
His astonishing late onslaught – he went from 100 to 150 in 16 balls – took Namibia to a total of 321 for six and despite Gavin Hoey, who hit three sixes, and Jai Moondra putting on 58 for the ninth wicket, Ireland came up short, bowled out with 15 balls unused.
Captain Paul Stirling admitted “our weaknesses got exposed today. We have to improve our death bowling, we should have been chasing less than 300 but again we were slightly off in our skills and execution.
“We lost three wickets in five minutes in the chase and that killed us.”
What Stirling couldn’t say was that Curtis Campher, definitely, and George Dockrell, possibly, were both unlucky to be given out caught behind, but with no DRS in the series they had to walk off after being given out by the Namibian umpire.
The pair had added 85 for the sixth wicket but both were out in successive overs from medium pacer Jack Brassell and when Andy McBrine was run out just two runs later, Ireland had collapsed from 210 for five to 231 for eight.
Hoey refused to give up and hit 31 off 21 balls but Erasmus brought himself back on to bowl the 48th over and he took two wickets in the space of three balls to finish the match which he had effectively won in the last five overs of the Namibia innings.
Erasmus brought up his second ODI century from the second ball of the 46th over when Namibia were 244 for five. At that stage the captain had hit just nine boundaries, all fours. He then went into overdrive, hitting four sixes and five more fours to finish the 49th over on 156 with the total on 312 for five.
Moondra, who conceded just 12 runs in an impressive opening spell of five overs, was hit for 32 in those two overs and at the other end Bryon McDonagh and Curtis Campher were also hit to all parts of the ground.
Erasmus did not face a ball in the final over as Moondra had Alex Volschenk caught at deep square and he then kept JJ Smit on strike for the final four balls.
McDonagh was the one change in the Ireland team that won the first game on Thursday by 55 runs, replacing Liam McCarthy. But strike bowler Mark Adair was again missing with still unconfirmed reports that, although selected for the tour, he will miss the entire series on disciplinary grounds, following an incident in the final match of the ODI series at Stormont in August. Significantly, the experienced all-rounder will also be on the Ireland Wolves tour to Zimbabwe next month.
McDonagh took a wicket with his first ball and when Campher, at first change, struck with his third delivery, Namibia, put into bat, were 49 for two. Erasmus then joined Jan Frylinck and they added 117 in the next 23 overs.
Hoey broke the partnership and, for the second game in a row, Ireland’s most reliable wicket-taker finished with three. Dockrell was given only three overs but could not add to his record-breaking 328.
Stirling gave Ireland the perfect start to their reply with a second consecutive half-century, but for the seventh time, since he last scored an ODI century he could not convert, leg before to Brassell for 77.
Cade Carmichael, Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker contributed only 18 between them and at 125 for five, it was Namibia’s game to lose. Thanks to Erasmus, they didn’t.