Proteas stunned by Namibia again before bouncing back against Zimbabwe

South Africa's cricketers suffered a second defeat at the hands of Namibia in less than a year, before responding with a comfortable win over Zimbabwe, as the T20 International tri-series got under way in Windhoek at the weekend.

An under-strength Proteas side, missing several senior players who were rested, was set 164 to win by the hosts in Friday's series opener at the Namibia Cricket Ground.

Namibia's total of 163 for nine was built around an opening stand of 84 between Jan Frylinck, who made 60, and Louren Steenkamp, who scored 41.

South Africa's reply never fully recovered from an early collapse, with only three batters reaching double figures. Dewald Brevis fought a lone hand, striking 75 off 50 balls before he was caught with two overs remaining, and the Proteas fell 18 runs short on 145 for nine. Ruben Trumpelmann and Jean-Jacques Smit each took three wickets for the hosts.

It was the second time Namibia have beaten South Africa in a T20 international. The first, in October last year, was a four-wicket win that went down to the final ball and marked the first occasion an associate nation had defeated the Proteas in the format.

Namibia's captain, Gerhard Erasmus, said the latest result showed his side's rise was no fluke: “It shows that we do belong, and it wasn't a once-off.”

South Africa recovered quickly, beating Zimbabwe by seven wickets with 38 balls to spare in Saturday's second fixture at the same venue. Brevis was again the standout performer with the bat, this time finishing unbeaten as the Proteas chased down their target with ease.

Stand-in captain Bjorn Fortuin's side, which also includes Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Jordan Hermann and Tony de Zorzi among a group of promising and established players, will face Zimbabwe again on Tuesday before returning to face Namibia on Friday, with the tri-series final scheduled for the following Sunday. Spinner Prenelan Subrayen said the squad was determined to learn from the manner of the loss to Namibia as it looks to build momentum through the rest of the series.

South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe are due to co-host the 2027 ODI Cricket World Cup, running from 4 October to 21 November that year.

SOURCES: The Citizen, News24, The Herald, and agency reports.