#ICCU19WorldCup: Esakhiel bats Scotland to victory
Zacheo van Vuuren scored 86 runs for Namibia but it wasn’t enough because they were beaten by three runs by Scotland.
Bahadar Esakhiel scored an unbeaten 76 runs from 54 balls to guide Scotland to a three-run win in their ICC U19 Men’s World Cup 16th place play-off match against Namibia at Willowmoore Park on February 1.
The right-hander was brutal at the death, taking 26 runs, including four sixes, off Zacheo van Vuuren in the last over when he targeted the square leg and fine leg boundaries.
He scored six maximums and four fours to help his team to an imposing 251, setting Namibia 252 to win.
Batting first after winning the toss, the Scots began on the back foot, losing the wickets of Adi Hedge and Alec Price inside the first four overs.
Hedge was caught behind by keeper Johannes Visagie off Jack Brassel in the third over, and Price was caught at point by Faf du Plessis from Junior Kariata in the fourth over.
Scotland’s struggles inside the powerplay mounted when Brassel and Kariata’s searing speed proved too much for Jamie Dunk and captain Owen Gould to deal with.
They only scored 23 runs in the first opening 10 overs, but the pair began to build after reaching 50 runs in the 15th over, with Dunk setting the tone as he scored 10 runs off Hanro Badenhorst in the 16th over.
The duo shared a third-wicket partnership of 80 off 111 balls before Gould departed for 35 off 58 in the 22nd over when he miscued a Pieter-Daniel Blignaut delivery to Kariata at backward point.
Dunk reached his half-century two overs later but fell to Blignaut in the 34th over after edging him to the keeper for 76 off 93, having scored eight boundaries.
Uzair Ahmad (36 off 59) followed Dunk to the shed four overs later off Gerhard Janse van Vuuren before Esakhiel unleashed his fury on the Namibian bowlers in the third powerplay to help his side to a commanding finish.
Blignaut and Van Vuuren took two wickets each, while Brassel and Kariata registered one apiece as Scotland ended on 251/6.
In response, Van Vuuren and Visagie’s half-centuries were in vain because Namibia only managed 248/6, falling three runs short of their target.
Van Vuuren scored 86 off 119 before falling to Ibrahim Faisal with the fifth ball of the final over.
After losing the wickets of Johannes de Villiers and Gerhard Janse van Rensburg in the powerplay, Visagie and Van Vuuren put together a third-wicket stand of 115 off 147 before Visagie was bowled for 69 off 97 by Hedge.
Skipper Alexander Busing-Volschenk joined Van Vuuren, and together, they built another strong partnership of 60 from 66 deliveries. However, Namibia’s hopes of victory were dashed when the duo was dismissed.
Busing-Volschenk was dismissed by Qasim Khan for 32 runs in the 44th over, and the brilliant Van Vuuren fell to Faisal in the last over as the Scots won by three wickets.
Faisal grabbed three wickets, and Khan took two, while Hedge ended with a single scalp.
Line-ups:
Scotland
Jamie Dunk, Adi Hedge, Alec Price, Owen Gould (C), Uzair Ahmad, Bahadar Esakhiel, Rory Grant, Logan Briggs, Ibrahim Faisal, Qasam Khan, Nikhil Koteeswaran.
Namibia
Gerhard Janse van Rensburg, Johannes de Villiers, Johannes Visagie, Zacheo van Vuuren, Alexander Busing-Volschenk (C), Ben Brassel, Pieter-Daniel Blignaut. Jack Brassel, Hanro Badenhorst, Faf du Plessis, Junior Kariata.
Remaining fixtures at Willowmoore Park:
• February 3 – Super Six, Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 10:00.
• February 6 – semi-final 1, 10:00.
• February 8 – semi-final 2, 10:00.
• February 11 – final, 10:00.
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