Namibia vs Scotland Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2021 match?
After being adjudged the Player of the Match in Namibia's second victory of the 2021 T20 World Cup, David Wiese jokingly claimed that he "didn't deserve to be sitting here". He meant that captain Gerhard Erasmus, who had scored an unbeaten fifty to take Namibia to their greatest-ever moment, should've been the man to pick up the accolade.
The statement Wiese made was a clear indication of the culture of this Namibia team, with Erasmus even claiming that he and the team management "run a tight ship." There were a lot of tears and joyous hugs after the Eagles beat Ireland, but they were soon replaced by a steely resolve to replicate their performances on the biggest stage they've seen thus far - the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. And unlike Wiese, who was of the opinion that he didn't deserve the Player of the Match award, Namibia truly deserve to be here.
Namibia's Super 12 journey in the T20 World Cup schedule starts on Wednesday, October 27 when they take on Scotland at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Namibia have won four of their last five T20Is and have beaten Scotland twice this year already.
Meanwhile, Kyle Coetzer's men are on the back of a morale-shattering loss to Afghanistan as the mystery spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan left them bereft of answers. The loss was tough to take for Scotland because they were the best side in the first round, winning all three of their games including an upset of Bangladesh.
T20 World Cup 2021: Erasmus leads Namibia into the unknown against Scotland
Gerhard Erasmus established himself in Namibian cricket folklore by helping the T20 World Cup team qualify for the Super 12 stage, also sealing automatic qualification for next year's tournament. However, he enters the land of the unknown against Scotland.
Namibia have never played a Super 12 game in their history and how they react to the spotlight is something that's impossible to predict. The presence of veterans like David Wiese should calm things down in an otherwise youthful side, and the fact that they're taking on an opposition they're familiar with will also boost their confidence.
Namibia's top order, which has largely failed to deliver the goods in the T20 World Cup, needs to step up. Zane Green and Craig Williams must provide a good platform in the absence of Stephan Baard, with plenty of power-hitters in the middle order.
Check out who is currently the highest wicket taker in T20 World Cup 2021 here.
Scotland, on the other hand, need to recover from their 130-run mauling at the hands of Afghanistan. It won't be easy, but they need to pick themselves up against a side that has held the wood over them in 2021. Thankfully for Scotland, they won't face any mystery spinners who have made a name for themselves in T20 leagues around the world.
Coetzer, George Munsey and Richie Berrington have all come up with decent contributions so far and the powerplay will be crucial to their chances against Namibia. Scotland's impressive pace trio of Brad Wheal, Josh Davey and Safyaan Sharif will also be valuable assets as dew sets in.
The chasing team will have a significant advantage in Abu Dhabi, where batting has become much easier in the second innings. So the toss will have a major say on the outcome of the game. But on pure form and morale, it's impossible to look past Namibia. If they hold their nerve on the big stage, which they have the character to do, they could keep their good record against Scotland going.
Scotland are due a good performance and they have the resources to pull a comeback victory out of the hat. Namibia are a touch over-reliant on Wiese, who cannot possibly bail them out of trouble each time. However, Namibia have a slight advantage for this T20 World Cup game.
Prediction: Namibia to win Match 21 of the T20 World Cup