Hong Kong thrash Namibia: one win away from qualifying for ICC Twenty20 World Cup in India

If the test of a team is responding to adversity, it is one that Hong Kong emphatically passed against Namibia on Sunday. Magnificent performances from the Ahmed brothers helped Hong Kong secure their place in the play-off stages of the ICC World T20 Qualifiers. Irfan scored 98, and Nadeem’s left-arm spin snared 5-12 to secure victory by 83 runs.

The margin was so resounding that Hong Kong overtook both Namibia and Papua New Guinea in the group A table, and so finished behind Ireland in second place. Hong Kong now have to win one of their next two matches to secure a passage to India for the 2016 World T20.

As he thumped four huge sixes, Irfan married power and timing to highlight why he is among the most dangerous hitters in the tournament. After surviving two chances to cover inside the first three overs of the game, Irfan unfurled a series of ferocious straight hits at Clontarf and lashed anything wide to the offside boundary. Exploiting a short straight boundary, he was particularly brutal against the left-arm spin of Bernard Scholtz.

It was an innings every bit as destructive as the round 100 Irfan made against Canada in the last World T20 Qualifiers two years ago. But on this occasion Irfan was deprived of a century: on 98, he was clean bowled attempting to sweep.

Several Namibian players congratulated Irfan on his innings as he walked off. It was an innings of profound significance for Hong Kong cricket. With the United States winning, Hong Kong needed victory to avoid being knocked out.

Irfan’s effort underpinned Hong Kong’s total of 197-8, 72 more than the team had managed against the United States on the same ground 24 hours earlier. Yet the job was far from done: Namibia’s strength lies in their batting, as they highlighted by making 181-5 against Papua New Guinea on Saturday.