USA keeps Eagles winless in series

Cricket
Andrew Poolman
  • 3 Weeks Ago - 2024-09-23 00:00:00
USA’s right-arm medium bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk was named player of the match with four wickets against Namibia’s Richelieu Eagles at the United field in Windhoek yesterday.
His player-of-the-match performance helped the Americans cruise to a seven-wicket win against the hosts in the ongoing ICC World Cup League Two triangular one-day series, which also includes the United Arab Emirates.
Van Schalkwyk (36), born in Cape Town and a product of Wynberg Boys’ High School, was later drafted into the South African Academy and played provicial cricket for Western Province and the Free State before moving to the USA, where he was picked in their 2024 T20 World Cup squad to the West Indies.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus won the toss and elected to bat yesterday. JP Kotzé was dismissed lbw to Van Schalkwyk for a duck, but Michael van Lingen (67 off 44 balls) once again contributed an attacking fifty, hitting 12 fours and two sixes.
The quick successive losses of Van Lingen, Zane Green (14), Erasmus (17) and Malan Kruger (1) put Namibia on the back foot – from 83/1 to 88/4.
The rearguard action of JJ Smit (60 off 84 balls), Nicol Loftie-Eaton (49 off 47 balls) and ODI debutant Dylan Leicher (32 off 31 balls) brought Namibia to a total of 286/9 off their 50 overs.
With the ball, Leicher struck early to have Smit Patel (9) caught behind by Green, but USA opener Andries Gous hit five sixes and six fours on his way to 81 off 68 balls. Immediately after hitting his fifth six, Gous was wonderfully caught by Michael van Lingen diving forward in the deep off Loftie-Eaton.
When USA captain Monank Patel was caught by Leicher off the spin bowling of PD Blignaut for 31 off 43 balls, his team was on 105/2 after 19.5 overs. Gous’ wicket fell on 145/3 after 24.5 overs.
However, the unbeaten partnership of 142 runs between Saiteja Mukkamalla (79* off 74 balls) and Milind Kumar (74* off 66; five sixes) took the Americans home.
Up next this week: UAE v USA on Tuesday (09:30) / NAM v UAE on Thursday (09:30).