Namibia 127 for 8 (Williams 48, Madhevere 2-15, Jongwe 2-16) beat Zimbabwe 95 all out (Munyonga 28, Erasmus 2-9, Frylinck 2-25) by 32 runs

In the finale, Namibia defended 127, only the second time in the series that a total that was not successfully chased, by bowling out Zimbabwe for 95, their second-lowest T20I total. In the process, Namibia have underlined how they have risen to become Africa’s second-best team, after South Africa, which has seen them attain automatic qualification for the first stage of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have not competed at a T20 World Cup since 2016 and missed out on the 2019 edition after the temporary suspension of their board. They are due to host the qualifiers in July for the 2022 edition and have organised fixtures against Namibia and Afghanistan to prepare. So far, the signs are that they have much improving to do, particularly in their batting.

Sikandar Raza and Madhevere took two wickets apiece and conceded only 33 runs in their eight overs to keep Namibia quiet. In the end, Frylinck’s 15 and Ruben Trumpelmann’s 14-ball 19 at No.7 and 8 respectively proved the difference between the two sides and will leave Zimbabwe with several questions about their strategy and personnel ahead of the T20 World Cup Qualifiers.