Hope for England as rain relents to allow 11-over contest against Namibia

Namibia won the delayed toss and opted to field first against England in their final Group B fixture of the rain-affected T20 World Cup in Antigua. The match, reduced to 11 overs per side due to persistent rain, ensured a contest could proceed if weather conditions permitted.

England, the defending champions, faced a crucial match needing a win to avoid another washout and to stay in contention for the Super Eight phase. They made two changes from their previous game against Oman, with Sam Curran and Chris Jordan coming in for Will Jacks and Mark Wood respectively.

Namibia, already unable to progress further in the tournament after one win and two losses, strengthened their batting lineup by bringing in JP Kotze in place of Ben Shikongo.

This encounter marks the first T20 international meeting between England and Namibia, played on the same pitch where England recorded a comprehensive victory over Oman. The ground features a short boundary to the right-hander’s off side and a slightly longer one to the leg side.

Jos Buttler, England’s captain, expressed relief at finally getting to play after the frustrating delay, noting, “It’s been frustrating but delighted we’re getting a game on.”

Here are the revised line-ups:
Namibia: Nikolaas Davin, Michael van Lingen, Jan Frylinck, JP Kotze, Gehrard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, David Wiese, Zane Green, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jack Brassell.

England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.