Cricket: Namibia make it three in a row

NAMIBIA notched their third straight victory in the Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers when they defeated United States by 17 runs.

Opening batsman Raymond van Schoor hit an unbeaten 79 as Namibia posted a challenging 177 for four. The US made a match of it through Aditya Mishra’s 53 before finishing on 160 for seven in Dubai.

Namibia have defeated two dangerous sides in Group B – Ireland and Scotland. Captain Craig Williams said: “It is a great position to be in. But it is a 12-day tournament. We need to take one match at a time.”

Ireland were taken to the limit by Italy before winning by two wickets in Abu Dhabi. They restricted Italy to 100 for seven before overhauling the target with two balls and two wickets to spare.

In Group A, Afghanistan also made it three out of three, defeating Denmark by 89 runs while Canada beat Hong Kong by eight wickets.