England secured a crucial 41-run victory over Namibia in a rain-affected encounter at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, keeping their T20 World Cup hopes alive.

Namibia opted to bowl first, but England, despite early wickets, managed to post a competitive total thanks to a late flurry of runs.

England batters rebuild after early collapse

England’s innings started on a shaky note, losing both openers Phil Salt (11) and Jos Buttler (0) cheaply.

However, Jonny Bairstow (31) and Harry Brook (47 not out) steadied the ship with a crucial 56-run partnership. Brook, in particular, impressed with his aggressive knock, smashing 4 fours and 2 sixes in his 20-ball innings. Moeen Ali (16) and Liam Livingstone (13) played valuable cameos to propel England to a total of 122 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their allotted 10 overs.

Namibia falls short of the mammoth total

Namibia’s chase got off to a slow start as they struggled to score freely against England’s disciplined bowling attack.

Michael van Lingen (33) was the lone bright spark, hitting three sixes in his 29-ball knock. David Wiese (27) also played a vital hand with a quickfire cameo, but wickets at regular intervals hampered Namibia’s progress.

Just as Namibia started to show some momentum, rain halted play, forcing the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) to come into effect. With a revised target of 126 runs in 10 overs, Namibia needed a strong finish. However, they fell short, managing only 84 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in their stipulated overs.

Harry Brook bags Player of the Match award

Brook’s unbeaten knock was instrumental in England’s victory, and he was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match trophy. This win has put England’s hopes of qualifying for the Super 8 stage alive. Now, they just have to pray for Australia’s victory over Scotland in the upcoming fixture.