Brevis’ 75 goes in vain as Namibia stun South Africa in tri-series opener

Namibia stun SA with 18-run upset in TriSeries Opener

In a thrilling display of resilience, Namibia defended 163/9 to defeat South Africa by 18 runs in the opening match of the Namibia T20I TriSeries 2026. The hosts' opening pair of Jan Frylinck (60 off 38) and Louren Steenkamp (41 off 29) laid a strong foundation with an 84-run stand, despite a late SA bowling surge that saw Prenelan Subrayen take 3/32.

In the chase, SA's young lineup struggled against the Namibian seamers, with Ruben Trumpelmann and JJ Smit claiming 3 wickets apiece. Dewald Brevis played a magnificent counter-attacking knock, scoring 75 off 50 balls (inc. 5x6), but his dismissal in the 18th over proved fatal. Supported briefly by Duan Jansen (25 off 17), SA finished at 145/9, falling 18 runs short. This marks Namibia's second win over the Proteas in 10 months, highlighting their rising stature in T20/I cricket.

Source: Times of India