Big-hitting fireworks from Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit helped Namibia post a competitive 163\/7 in 20 overs of their opening ICC Men's T20 World Cup match against 2014 champions Sri Lanka at Kardinia Park, Geelong on Sunday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka made good use of the breeze and tennis-ball bounce offered by a two-paced pitch with some tight bowling to leave Namibia in trouble at 93\/6 in 14.2 overs. But Smit (31 not out) joined Frylinck (44) at the crease and the duo added 70 runs in the next 34 balls to take Namibia to 163\/7.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Namibia had a shaky start, losing both their openers Michael van Lingen and Divan la Cock in the first three overs. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton made a sparkling 20 before falling to a wonderful catch from Kusal Mendis with the score being 43\/3 at the end of the power-play.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stephen Baard (26) and captain Gerhard Erasmus (20) were involved in a fifty partnership but were dismissed in quick succession in the middle overs. When fast-bowling all-rounder David Wiese perished for a golden duck against Maheesh Theekshana (1\/23), it looked like Namibia would crumble before Frylinck and Smit engineered a rescue act.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The duo targeted Sri Lanka's wayward bowling at the back end of the innings by targeting the shorter side of the ground for boundaries and ran hard for a lot of twos with the help of the longer side.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Sri Lanka, star leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga (1\/27) bowled well during the middle overs. The economy rates of Theekshana and Hasaranga were below seven, while the economy rates of Dushmantha Chameera (1\/39), Pramod Madushan (2\/37) and Chamika Karunaratne (1\/36) were above nine.<\/p>\r\n\r\n