Namibia Beat Ireland by 63 Runs — Jan Frylinck's 126 Gives the Hosts a 2-1 Series Lead

In the second ODI Jan Frylinck played the supporting role, 76 off 90 while his captain made 156 not out. On Tuesday the parts were reversed. Namibia chose to bat, Gerhard Erasmus made a brisk 54, and Frylinck batted until the 49th over for 126 off 122 balls, his innings the spine of Namibia's 316 for 7.

Ireland had their own centurion in Curtis Campher, who made 106 off 86, but he walked in at 56 for 4, with the chase already in trouble. Ireland's innings closed on 253 for 9 in the 45th over. Namibia won by 63 runs and lead the five-match series 2-1.

Namibia batted the way they did on Saturday. Louren Steenkamp went early again, caught behind off Jai Moondra at 33, and Malan Kruger's 42 off 46 took them to 81 before Andy McBrine caught and bowled him. Then came the partnership that set up the match: Frylinck and Erasmus added 102 off 103 balls. Erasmus reached 50 off 50 and was caught off Gavin Hoey at the end of the 33rd over, and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton was stumped off McBrine soon after. At 198 for 4 in the 38th, Ireland were still in it.

They weren't for much longer. Alexander Busing-Volschenk hit three sixes in 36 off 26 and added 62 off 44 with Frylinck, who had gone from 50 off 63 balls to 100 off 110. Namibia brought up 200 in the 39th over and added 116 more off the last 70 balls. Frylinck was caught by the substitute fielder off Campher in the 49th over, and Namibia finished on 316.

Ireland's chase went wrong in the first over, when Cade Carmichael was lbw to Bernard Scholtz with the score on 1. Andy Balbirnie and Lorcan Tucker took them to 46, and then three wickets fell for ten runs: Balbirnie to Ruben Trumpelmann, Tucker bowled by Jack Brassell, Harry Tector bowled by Trumpelmann. At 56 for 4 in the 13th over, Ireland needed 261 more.

Curtis Campher gave them a chance. He added 61 off 51 with McBrine and 86 off 96 with George Dockrell, reached 50 off 45 and 100 off 82, and at 203 for 6 in the 38th over the equation was still alive. Dockrell's 25 took 49 balls, though, and the rate kept climbing. Campher was run out by Malan Kruger and keeper Green at 246 for 7, and the last two wickets fell for seven runs, Hoey run out by Erasmus to end it. With the ball, McBrine's 2 for 53 and Moondra's ten overs for 49 were Ireland's best; Hoey, so good in the first two games, went for 81.

For the third time in three games, the side batting first won. The surface at the High Performance Oval has again rewarded the side that keeps wickets in hand for the last ten overs, and both of Namibia's 300-plus totals in this series were built that way. The best bowling came from those who kept it tight with the new ball rather than chasing wickets: Scholtz conceded 31 in his ten overs and took the important early wicket, and both Erasmus and Moondra went at under five an over.

Frylinck's 126 came off 122 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. His first fifty took 63 balls, and the second took 47. It was an innings built in the same way as Erasmus's 156 three days earlier: patient early, then faster as the overs ran down. He was in at 33 for 1 and out at 299 for 6, so he was there for most of what mattered. In a series that has been about Namibia's captain, Frylinck made sure there is another name Ireland have to plan for.

This match didn't have a CricIntel preview — we'll have full analysis for the next encounter.

The fourth ODI is on Friday, October 30, in Windhoek, and Ireland now have to win it to keep the series alive. The batting first pattern will make the toss important again. Namibia have had big contributions from Erasmus and Frylinck in consecutive wins, and their bowlers are sharing the wickets. Ireland have Campher in form, but the top order has to give him more than 56 for 4 to work with.