USA Beat Namibia by 4 Wickets — Monank Patel's Hundred Answers Michael van Lingen's

Two centuries, one on each side, and 597 runs across 98.5 overs. This was a proper one-day international, a contest that kept changing hands until the last few overs. Namibia's 298 for 9 was built on Michael van Lingen's patience and Gerhard Erasmus's power. USA's reply was built on the steadiness of their captain, Monank Patel, who made 108 from 100 balls and was out only once USA had taken control.

At 255 for 4 with 7.3 overs left, USA needed 44. They lost two more wickets but never lost their nerve. USA won by 4 wickets, with 7 balls remaining.

USA never let the required rate get away from them. Smit Patel and Monank Patel batted through the first powerplay without losing a wicket, scoring 38, and put on 96 for the first wicket before Smit, who made 50 from 62 with two sixes, was caught off Loftie-Eaton in the 18th over. Monank and Shehan Jayasuriya then added 121 for the second wicket. By the time Monank was caught behind off Ruben Trumpelmann in the 36th over, USA were 217 for 2 and needed 82 from 14.2 overs.

That's when it got nervous. Saiteja Mukkamalla went for 6, Jayasuriya fell for 74 to a return catch by JJ Smit, and Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar fell within five balls of each other. At 282 for 6, with 17 needed, Harmeet Singh and Shubham Ranjane kept their heads and finished it in the 49th over. Earlier in the day Ehsan Adil had taken 4 for 41, two of them in Namibia's final over, to keep the target under 300.

Namibia's innings had two very different halves. After losing two wickets for 24, van Lingen and Louren Steenkamp rebuilt carefully: their 113 for the third wicket took 21 overs. Then Erasmus came in and changed the tempo. He reached fifty from 27 balls, hit three sixes, and with van Lingen brought up a hundred partnership in 67 balls. At 239 for 3 in the 42nd over, 330 looked possible.

It was the next two overs that decided the match. Van Lingen was bowled by Jayasuriya, Erasmus fell to Netravalkar, and JJ Smit went in the following over: three wickets for seven runs. Namibia's lower order took them close to 300, but the momentum had gone. With the ball, JJ Smit and Loftie-Eaton took two wickets each, while Jack Brassell's ten overs went for 84 — the gap between the bowling units in the end.

Grand Prairie gave both sides runs and rewarded batters who were willing to build an innings. The new ball did a little early on — Namibia were 24 for 2 after nine overs, and USA scored 38 in their first ten — but once set, batters found it straightforward, with two centuries and three more half-centuries. Batting first or second made little difference; the side that kept wickets in hand in the last ten overs won.

Monank Patel's hundred had 14 fours and no sixes, and that tells you how he played it. He took no unnecessary risks, kept the scoreboard moving and let the boundaries come. He was the anchor while Smit Patel and then Jayasuriya played around him, and when he was out at 217 for 2, the hard part of the chase was done.

Chasing 299 is a test of nerve as much as skill. Patel passed it, and he gave the batters who followed him a platform to finish the job.

Our preview made USA favourites at home, and they won, but it was much closer than we expected. We named Saurabh Netravalkar as USA's player to watch. He bowled his ten overs for 45 and took the important wicket of Erasmus, a solid if quiet contribution, while Ehsan Adil (4 for 41) and Shehan Jayasuriya (3 for 30 and 74) were the bowlers who made the difference. For Namibia we picked Gerhard Erasmus, and he delivered: 76 from 45 balls, the most destructive innings of the day.

The win takes USA to 47 points from 34 matches, top of the League 2 table, two ahead of Scotland, who have played two more games. Netherlands are third on 38. Namibia stay fifth on 29 points from 34 matches.

The Dallas leg continues on October 9, when Namibia face the UAE at Grand Prairie Stadium. On the same day, Oman play Canada at Al Amerat.