The United States kept their hopes of reaching the Twenty20 World Cup’s Super 8 stage alive as they ended their Group A campaign with two straight wins, after beating Namibia by 31 runs on Sunday.
The Americans decided to bat and scored 199-4 in Chennai, with captain Monank Patel and Sanjay Krishnamurthi leading with half-centuries. Shadley van Schalkwyk (2-27) and Saurabh Netravalkar (1-27) restricted Namibia’s run flow, causing them to fall far short.
The US got off to a quick start thanks to Patel’s 52 off 30 balls, and he and Krishnamurthi teamed up for an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket, which helped his team reach their best total of the season.
In his unbeaten knock of 68 from 33 balls, which was his first half-century in T20 internationals, Krishnamurthi smashed six sixes and four boundaries.
Louren Steenkamp (58) got Namibia off to a strong start, leading them to 97-1 in 10 overs. However, they faltered after Steenkamp was caught at point in the 13th over, finishing their innings at 168-6 and losing their third consecutive match.
The United States, who finished with four points after losing their opening two games against India and Pakistan, will be hoping that their strong net run rate will secure them a spot in the top two and advance to the next round.
