Tim Tector showed no signs of jet-lag as he top-scored with 73 in Windhoek to set Ireland on the way to a 130-run victory over Namibia to level the one-day international series at 2-2 and set up a do-or-die Sunday showdown.

A total of 298-8 looked daunting on a pitch helping seam and spin alike, and Jai Moondra took full advantage claiming three wickets in his opening burst before returning to mop up the tail for figures of 6-26 — the best by an Ireland bowler in ODIs.

After watching the Boys in Green slip 2-1 behind in the five-match series at home in Dublin on Tuesday, the younger Tector answered the call to replace injured skipper Paul Stirling and was thrown in at the deep end only hours after his arrival in the Namibian capital.

After starting understandably slowly, he slipped through the gears reaching 50 in his maiden ODI from 64 balls and then launching consecutive sixes — three in total — before edging to slip.

Lorcan Tucker, revelling in his role a stand-in skipper contributed a bright 28, in-form Curtis Campher smashed six sixes in making 66 and George Dockrell weighed in with 47 not out.

“We worked hard for that victory and those were a couple of special performances from Tim and Jai,” Tucker said.

“Putting on that total settled the game for us.

“The series is set up really nicely — 2-2 going into the final game. We will try to take the momentum from this win into that match.”

The margin of victory was exaggerated by two moments in the field as first Andy Balbirnie held a stunning left-handed catch at second slip to remove Tuesday’s centurion Jan Frylinck, and later Liam McCarthy had a debatable lbw appeal upheld against Gerard Erasmus.

While Balbirnie’s grab was reminiscent of Andrew Strauss’s magical much-replayed catch in the 2005 Ashes, the Namibian captain was less than pleased to see the umpire’s finger raised when he missed a pull and was struck above the pad, albeit his knee was bent.

The grumbling departure of Erasmus, who scored Namibia’s other century in the series, left the home side on 45-5 and effectively beaten although Ireland were kept waiting for their win by an enterprising eighth-wicket stand of 57.

Man-of-the-Match Moondra returned to put an end to the fun and took his record-breaking sixth-wicket with the final ball of his 10 overs as Namibia were dismissed for 168.