5.30pm Goosebumps watching the Namibians celebrating, and the heartstrings tug at seeing the despondent Irish camp. The Ireland team have been great at global tournaments, always making the neutrals root for them, but Namibia have produced their greatest moment in the history of their cricket today. A historic day. And we can only hope that the tournament produces more such historic moments. Namibia now move to the group that has India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Scotland and Afghanistan. Wish them all the best as we sign off from ESPNcricinfo. But if you're craving for more cricket, just head here for the Netherlands v Sri Lanka match. Sri Lanka looking to iron out their creases and Netherlands trying to sign off with a win.
Andrew Balbirnie, losing captain:Hurts a lot. Really wanted to win. We didn't get enough runs. It will be hard to get over it, and it hurts a lot. I think Wiese played a brillant hand when the rate was at 8, and their skipper saw them home. There are lot of good cricketers in there in Namibia, it wasn't to be.
Gerhard Erasmus, winning captain: Said in the press conference that we run a tight ship. Small country, small number of people play cricket. We should be proud of ourselves. I count on my senior men to stand up when the pressure is on. And two of us did it tonight. Hopefully we can do it through the tournament. Hasn't sunk in yet, maybe on the way home."
ashish ranjan: "Weise and Morkel - when they hugged each other, the emotion on their face was visible even though they were not expressing it outright. The relief was there of achieving a goal of reaching the Super 12. "
5.21 pm Tears of joy from some of the Namibian players. Stoic faces on the Ireland bench. Two Associates have now slayed Full Members on the way into the Super 12s. A 53-run unbeaten stand between Wiese and Erasmus takes Namibia over the line. Wiese and assistant coach Albie Morkel hug now. Everyone is waiting to hug Wiese. Screams of joy from Sharjah to Windhoek!
Player of the Match David Wiese: "It's completely overwhelming. I don't think I deserve to be sitting here. I think the captain Gerhard Erasmus deserves to be Man of the Match. This is really his moment and the rest of the team has put in so much work before now to be here. I've played in Sharjah a few times and know the wicket deteriorates to suit my bowling a bit more."
Well, Wiese said what I was thinking! Erasmus was my Player of the Match! I don't think he'll care too much though. What matters is Namibia is through to the next round. What a historic day for Namibia, and for the entire Associate cricket community!
Namibia family section is dancing in the stands. They can smell a Super 12 berth.
END OF OVER:18 | 12 Runs | NAM: 117/2 (9 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 6.50, RRR: 4.50)
- Gerhard Erasmus48 (47b)
- David Wiese24 (13b)
- Simi Singh4-0-28-0
- Josh Little4-0-22-0
Hayes: "A Campher 4-in-4 may be the only thing to make this interesting."
Simi Singh on for offspin in the 18th.
END OF OVER:17 | 5 Runs | NAM: 105/2 (21 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.17, RRR: 7.00)
- Gerhard Erasmus38 (43b)
- David Wiese23 (11b)
- Josh Little4-0-22-0
- Curtis Campher3-0-14-2