Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Netherlands earned their first win of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a commanding seven-wicket victory over Namibia on Tuesday.
Batting first in the Group A fixture in New Delhi, Namibia scored 156 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs. The Netherlands chased down the target with seven wickets and 12 balls remaining.
The Netherlands suffered a three-wicket loss to Pakistan in their opening group stage game.
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton top-scored for Namibia with a 38-ball 42, while Jan Frylinck scored 20, JJ Smit contributed 22, and Captain Gerhard Erasmus chipped in with 18 runs. Other Naimbian batters failed to reach double digits.
Base de Leede and Logan van Beek claimed two wickets each for the Netherlands, while Aryan Dutt and Fred Klaassen picked up a wicket each.
Although the Netherlands lost opener Max O’Dowd (7) early in the chase of 157, Michael Levitt (28) and Bas de Leede (72) steadied the innings. Levitt scored 28 from 15 balls, while de Leede made a quickfire 72 off 48 balls, which included five fours and four towering sixes. Colin Ackermann and Captain Scott Edwards chipped in with 21 and 18*, respectively.
Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelman,n and Loftie-Eaton picked up a wicket each for Namibia.
