Namibia beat Ireland 3-2 for first bilateral ODI series win

Namibia defeated Ireland by five wickets in the fifth and final one-day international in Windhoek, completing a 3-2 series victory and its first bilateral ODI series win against a Full Member nation. Ireland were bowled out for 129 after choosing to bat. Namibia reached the target in the 22nd over, with five wickets remaining, to seal the series on home soil. Namibia’s bowlers restricted Ireland’s scoring after wickets fell at regular intervals. JJ Smit took four wickets for 20 runs in nine overs, while Jack Brassell claimed three wickets for 15. Jordan Neill top-scored for Ireland with 33 from 25 deliveries; Cade Carmichael made 27, Harry Tector 21 and captain Lorcan Tucker 20. Louren Steenkamp and Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus helped guide the chase. Steenkamp scored 46, according to one match account, while another reported 42; Erasmus made 30. Namibia completed the pursuit in 22 overs. Zane Green finished the chase with a six, according to a match report. Erasmus was named Player of the Series after scoring 263 runs and taking four wickets across the five matches. Smit received the Player of the Match award for the decider. The result marked Namibia’s first bilateral ODI...