Adam Zampa took four for 12 from four overs as unbeaten Australia stormed into the Super Eights at the Twenty20 World Cup with one Group B match to spare after hammering Namibia by nine wickets in Antigua on Tuesday.
Leg spinner Zampa picked up where he left off in last weekend's win over reigning champions England and helped dismiss the Namibians for 72 from just 17 overs, the lowest tally Australia has conceded in T20 internationals.
In reply, David Warner hit an aggressive 20 from eight balls before Travis Head took up the mantle with 34 from 17 to power the 2021 champions over the line inside six overs at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, ending Namibia's slim hopes of progressing.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus top-scored for the Africans with a battling innings of 36 before he miscued a Marcus Stoinis delivery to Glenn Maxwell at midwicket.
Zampa's final wicket, when he bowled Bernard Scholtz through the gate, made him the first Australian man to take 100 wickets in the shortest format of the international game.
“Just trying to do my thing, mate,” said Zampa, the Player of the Match. “We're happy, it's the first step in trying to take the trophy home but a long way to go.”
Australia's final Group B match is against Scotland in St Lucia on Saturday, while Namibia remain in Antigua to take on England earlier the same day.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan scored a timely half-century and Babar Azam played a captain's knock as Pakistan bounced back from successive defeats to beat Canada by seven wickets on Tuesday, keeping their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage alive.
Pakistan, third in Group A with two points after one win in three matches, have a shot at advancing to the next round if one of the group's top two sides India and US lose both their remaining matches and Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday.
Canada, also on two points, need US or India to lose their remaining games and beat India themselves on Saturday to have a shot at finishing in the top two.
Batting first, Canada's Aaron Johnson (52) waged a lone battle against Pakistan's pace attack. Mohammad Amir (2-13) and Haris Rauf (2-26) led the charge, while Shaheen Afridi (1-21) and Naseem Shah (1-24) helped ensure Canada were unable to find rhythm.
Only three Canadian batters reached double digits and if not for Johnson's maiden World Cup fifty and a late flurry from Kaleem Sana (13 not out), Canada would have struggled to reach the modest total of 106-7 they posted.
The temporary arena in East Meadow, where India and SA defended less than run-a-ball targets in recent days, looked on course for another competitive low-scoring match as Saim Ayub (6) fell early and Pakistan looked shaky at 21-1 after five overs.
However, Rizwan (53 not out) and Azam (33) steadied the ship, taking few risks and frequently rotating strikes. A measured Azam hit one six and one four before he fell to Dillon Heyliger (2-18), but Pakistan comfortably reached their target with 15 balls to spare.
“That was a very important win,” player of the match Amir said. “One more, who knows?” — Reuters
Zampa shines as Australia romp into Super Eights at World Cup
Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Adam Zampa took four for 12 from four overs as unbeaten Australia stormed into the Super Eights at the Twenty20 World Cup with one Group B match to spare after hammering Namibia by nine wickets in Antigua on Tuesday.
Leg spinner Zampa picked up where he left off in last weekend's win over reigning champions England and helped dismiss the Namibians for 72 from just 17 overs, the lowest tally Australia has conceded in T20 internationals.
In reply, David Warner hit an aggressive 20 from eight balls before Travis Head took up the mantle with 34 from 17 to power the 2021 champions over the line inside six overs at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, ending Namibia's slim hopes of progressing.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus top-scored for the Africans with a battling innings of 36 before he miscued a Marcus Stoinis delivery to Glenn Maxwell at midwicket.
Zampa's final wicket, when he bowled Bernard Scholtz through the gate, made him the first Australian man to take 100 wickets in the shortest format of the international game.
“Just trying to do my thing, mate,” said Zampa, the Player of the Match. “We're happy, it's the first step in trying to take the trophy home but a long way to go.”
Australia's final Group B match is against Scotland in St Lucia on Saturday, while Namibia remain in Antigua to take on England earlier the same day.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Rizwan scored a timely half-century and Babar Azam played a captain's knock as Pakistan bounced back from successive defeats to beat Canada by seven wickets on Tuesday, keeping their hopes of reaching the T20 World Cup Super Eight stage alive.
Pakistan, third in Group A with two points after one win in three matches, have a shot at advancing to the next round if one of the group's top two sides India and US lose both their remaining matches and Pakistan beat Ireland on Sunday.
Canada, also on two points, need US or India to lose their remaining games and beat India themselves on Saturday to have a shot at finishing in the top two.
Batting first, Canada's Aaron Johnson (52) waged a lone battle against Pakistan's pace attack. Mohammad Amir (2-13) and Haris Rauf (2-26) led the charge, while Shaheen Afridi (1-21) and Naseem Shah (1-24) helped ensure Canada were unable to find rhythm.
Only three Canadian batters reached double digits and if not for Johnson's maiden World Cup fifty and a late flurry from Kaleem Sana (13 not out), Canada would have struggled to reach the modest total of 106-7 they posted.
The temporary arena in East Meadow, where India and SA defended less than run-a-ball targets in recent days, looked on course for another competitive low-scoring match as Saim Ayub (6) fell early and Pakistan looked shaky at 21-1 after five overs.
However, Rizwan (53 not out) and Azam (33) steadied the ship, taking few risks and frequently rotating strikes. A measured Azam hit one six and one four before he fell to Dillon Heyliger (2-18), but Pakistan comfortably reached their target with 15 balls to spare.
“That was a very important win,” player of the match Amir said. “One more, who knows?” — Reuters
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