U-19 CWC: Sri Lanka beat Namibia by 77 runs in Kimberley

Namibia produced a stirring display with the ball after opting to bowl first in Kimberley, which had witnessed low-scoring matches earlier in the tournament.

The Sri Lankan openers were off to a cautious start before a run-out saw the back of the dangerous Pulindu Perera.

It was the opening Namibia were seeking, and Zacheo van Vuuren exploited it by taking four wickets between overs 10 to 20.

Reduced to 71/5, Sri Lanka were banking on No.3 Supun Waduge to carry them to safety and he did so with a sublime half-century in tricky conditions.

Meanwhile, wickets continued to tumble at the other end as Johannes de Villiers took three of them to send Sri Lanka from 122/6 to 133 all out.

Namibia, who had given Australia a scare in their first fixture, had an opportunity to win against Sri Lanka, but any hopes of that were shut out in the early stages of their innings thanks to a spirited comeback from the Sri Lankan bowlers.

De Villiers battled it out in the Powerplay with his solid defensive shots, but having lost two wickets in the first 10 overs,

Namibia needed someone to push back at the Lankan bowlers.

That didn't happen as the Namibians crumbled post-Powerplay.

18/2 turned to 25/8 in overs 10-20 as Sri Lanka struck at regular intervals to dent the Namibian batting.

Garuka Sanketh, Dinura Kalupahana, Vishwa Lahiru, and Ruvishan Perera were all among the wickets as Sri Lanka put up a strong bowling performance.

Some runs late in the innings from the tailenders lent some level of respectability to Namibia’s final total.

But with two losses from as many games, Namibia will need a win against Zimbabwe to qualify for the next round.

Left-arm spinner Lahiru and medium-pacer Perera starred with the ball for Sri Lanka taking three wickets apiece. The two have five wickets each in the tournament currently.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have a win and a loss from their first two games and take on Australia next.

Speaking of their performance, Namibia skipper Alexander Volschenk said that the team needed to sort out their batting before the next game.

“Our fielding and bowling were significant, but we just crumbled with the bat. We will need to try and sort it out before the next game against Zimbabwe.”

Player of the Match Supun Waduge expressed his elation at playing a massive role in the win.

“I had a positive mindset and did my basics right; I was happy to score some runs. In Sri Lanka, we practised in similar conditions so it was easier for me to adapt to these wickets and play late.”

Sri Lanka 133 (37.5 overs) v Namibia 56 (27 overs)