Bas de Leede hit a fluent 72 as Netherlands kept their Super 8 hopes alive in the men’s T20 World Cup with a confident seven-wicket win over Namibia in their Group A match on Tuesday.

Bouncing back from a painful defeat to Pakistan from a strong position, Netherlands produced a tidy and disciplined bowling performance to restrict Namibia to 156 for 8 in the clash between the associate nations.

This is Namibia’s first outing of the tournament, and it showed in patches. Short of match time in recent weeks with their last T20I being that last-ball win over South Africa in October 2025, they took time to find rhythm.

With the Indian team not involved, the stands were sparsely populated, but the cricket on display was of good quality.

Jan Frynlinck (30) and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (42) revived the Namibian innings with their steady 50-run stand after an early setback, while JJ Smit (22) provided fireworks down the order. However, the late flourish did not come for Namibia as they settled for a modest total on a sporty wicket.

Bas de Leede, who remained unbeaten, and Colin Ackermann (32) did the bulk of scoring after opener Mochale Levitt (28) provided a quick start as Netherlands overhauled the target without fuss.

Netherlands next play the USA in Chennai on Friday while Namibia have a tough test against hosts India at the same venue on Thursday.

The Dutch, who had lost to Pakistan in Colombo after dictating terms for large parts of the match, showed far greater composure this time. After losing Max O’Dowd (7) early, Levitt provided early momentum with a brisk innings before falling in the powerplay. Ackermann steadied the innings with a fluent 32, forging a vital stand with Bas de Leede.

De Leede anchored the chase with a measured knock off 48 balls, mixing caution with aggression. He hit nine boundaries, including four sixes. Skipper Scott Edwards finished things off in style, scoring an unbeaten 18, as the Netherlands reached 159 for three in 18 overs. Namibia’s bowlers struggled to contain the Dutch middle order once the platform was set.

Earlier, the Dutch set the tone early. Pacer Logan van Beek (2/13) hit the deck hard with the new ball, while off-spinner Aryan Dutt (1/13) bowled a probing, miserly spell that choked the scoring.

Also read: Pakistan to face India on Feb 15 for T20 World Cup match