ICC World T20 | Twitter reacts as UAE shock Namibia by 7 runs despite stunning David Wiese counterattack to hand Dutch Super 12s ticket
The final group A encounter between Namibia and the UAE provided a thriller for the ages as the latter emerged triumphant to ensure the Netherlands a Super 12s spot. David Wiese almost pulled off the impossible singlehandedly with his explosive knock and was left devastated after the game.
A rollercoaster game between Namibia and the United Arab Emirates in Geelong on Thursday ended in heartbreak for the African outfit as they fell just seven runs shy of progressing to the next stage of the tournament.Ā This was the UAE's first-ever win in the marquee event's history and was duly celebrated by the Dutch fans as well since it meant the Netherlands finished in second place in Group A and advanced to the Super 12s stage after last year's disappointment.
Batting first, the UAE held their horses to slowly pile on runs without losing wickets. In the middle overs, opener Muhammad Waseem had a brief outburst to reach his half-century but soon departed for 50(41). Just when Namibia seemed to constrain the opposition's hopes of a par score, skipper CP Rizwan and Basil Hameed's blitz in the death overs saw the sideĀ close at 148/3, the former particularly impressive with his unbeaten 43(29).
In response, the Namibian batters faltered once again as has become the norm, collapsing to 26-3 owing to two quick wickets for spinner Hameed. PacersĀ Junaid Siddique and Zahoor Khan piled onto their miseryĀ to have them reeling at 69/7 before the tables turned completely. A struggling David Wiese was boosted byĀ Ruben Trumpelmann's consecutive boundaries and went on to put on a batting masterclass, managing three fours and as many maximums. However, he failed to finish off proceedings with 14 needed off the final over, returning to the pavilion forĀ 55(36) eventually leading to UAE's 7-run win.
While walking back to the dugout, Wiese raised both his hands in apology and even after the game was seen almost breaking down crying in disappointment. The entire Namibian team consoled him, although to little effect, and so did the internet to appreciate the all-rounder's stunning counterattack.Ā Ā
Was heart breaking!
ā MINI BUS 2022 (@minibus2022)Ā October 20, 2022
Feel for him
ā MINI BUS 2022 (@minibus2022)Ā October 20, 2022
Thats sad!
Feeling sad for David Wiese,as he played really well, he try hard to win it.š
ā 10 shades of Tweets_šµš°šµšø (@ErtugralTweets)Ā October 20, 2022
But with a heavy heart we want them to be defeated for our benefit...š
Sri Lankan team can give us tough competition but we have now Netherland in our group š¤
HehehihehiouĀ #MyTweetsĀ #T20WorldCup
What a player
Spare a thought forĀ @David_Wiese. What a knock it was from the former South Africa international! But it could not get his team over the line. Melancholy for Namibian boys who began the tournament by upstaging Sri Lanka before losing the plot in 2 games.#T20WC2022
ā Ankit Kumar Singh (@skywalkerhuss)Ā October 20, 2022
Wiese Love!
David Wiese šš„²#T20WorldCup#NAMvsUAE
ā Imran Ali šøš“ (@Imranali_50)Ā October 20, 2022
Dissapointed
@CricketNamibia1Ā will be very very disappointed. The way they thrashed Sri Lanka & then to crash out & play the way they did, that's disappointing. Very disappointing. Gotta feel forĀ @David_Wiese, he was š#NAMvUAEĀ #UAEvNAMĀ #T20worldcup2022Ā https://t.co/MAix4DCwJu
ā Ani (@anirudhani_)Ā October 20, 2022
Dutch through!
What scenes - The Dutch fans live on, feel for Wiese though..Ā #NAMvsUAEĀ #T20WorldCup
ā AK (@rwamit)Ā October 20, 2022
Royal rumble
Happy theĀ #UAEĀ š¦šŖ won .. Also sad thatĀ #NamibiaĀ š³š¦ lost ..
ā Sadheesh Balan (@sadheeshbalan)Ā October 20, 2022
What a match.. !!
David Wiese the Man !!#T20worldcup22Ā #UAEvsNAM
In history books
@EmiratesCricketĀ clinched a thriller to win their 1st ever match in WC historyā¦ š„šÆ
ā Hamza Irshad (@Hamzair390)Ā October 20, 2022
Namibians are now out of the WC butĀ @David_WieseĀ was just outstanding today with the batā¦ š„ā¤ļø#NAMvsUAEĀ #T20WorldCup
Thriller
What a thriller, got to feel for David Wiese.#NAMvUAEĀ #T20WorldCup
ā Vipul Ghatol š®š³ (@Vipul_Espeaks)Ā October 20, 2022