Namibia vs Ireland, 2nd ODI 2026 – Commentary, Scorecard and Result
Namibia beat Ireland by 31 runs at the High Performance Oval in Windhoek on Saturday, 24 October 2026, levelling the series at 1-1. The match belonged almost entirely to one player. Gerhard Erasmus made a career-best 156 not out from 125 balls to carry Namibia to 321 for 6, and then returned with the ball to take 2 for 13, including the wicket that ended the game.
Ireland were not far away. Paul Stirling made 77, George Dockrell 48 and Curtis Campher 45, and a late stand between Gavin Hoey and Jai Moondra briefly threatened an improbable finish before Ireland were bowled out for 290 in 47.3 overs. Jack Brassell’s 4 for 52 was the best bowling of the match, and Erasmus was named Player of the Match. This Namibia vs Ireland 2nd ODI 2026 report carries the complete verified scorecard below.
Namibia vs Ireland 2nd ODI 2026 – Match Details
| Match | Namibia v Ireland, 2nd ODI |
|---|---|
| Series | Ireland tour of Namibia, 2026 |
| Venue | High Performance Oval, Windhoek (listed by some services as Namibia Cricket Ground) |
| Date | Saturday, 24 October 2026 |
| Local start | 9:30 AM (1:00 PM IST) |
| Format | One Day International |
| Toss | Ireland won the toss and elected to field |
| Namibia | 321/6 in 50 overs (run rate 6.42) |
| Ireland | 290 all out in 47.3 overs |
| Result | Namibia won by 31 runs |
| Player of the Match | Gerhard Erasmus — 156 not out and 2 for 13 |
| Series after this match | Level at 1-1 |
NAM vs IRE 2nd ODI – Match Status and Result
The match was played and completed. There was no weather interruption, no reduction in overs and no revised target. Namibia defended 321 and bowled Ireland out with 15 balls of the innings remaining.
Ireland won the first ODI of the series, so this result leaves the sides level at 1-1 with further matches to come.
Toss and Playing XIs
Ireland won the toss and chose to bowl first — a decision that looked reasonable for two overs and progressively less so thereafter.
Namibia: Michael van Lingen, Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wicketkeeper), Alexander Busing-Volschenk, Jonathan Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Max Heingo, Jack Brassell.
Ireland: Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling (captain), Cade Carmichael, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Gavin Hoey, Jai Moondra, Byron McDonough.
First Innings – Namibia 321/6
Ireland’s decision to bowl began well. Louren Steenkamp was dismissed for a first-ball duck, caught by Lorcan Tucker off Byron McDonough, and when Michael van Lingen fell for 22 from 31 balls — caught by Stirling off Curtis Campher — Namibia were 49 for 2 and the toss looked vindicated.
What followed undid all of it. Gerhard Erasmus and Jan Frylinck added 117 for the third wicket, rebuilding without hurry and then accelerating. Frylinck’s 76 came from 90 balls with six fours and two sixes — the patient half of the stand, and the innings that bought Erasmus the time he needed, before Gavin Hoey had him caught by Moondra.
Erasmus went on to the highest score of his career: 156 not out from 125 balls, with 14 fours and four sixes. He was still there at the close of the fiftieth over, having batted through from the third wicket to the end of the innings at a strike rate of 124.80.
Hoey removed Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for 15 and Zane Green for 3 to keep Ireland in it, finishing with three wickets. The finish, though, was supplied by Alexander Busing-Volschenk, whose 30 came from 20 balls with three fours and a six before Moondra had him caught in the closing overs. Jonathan Smit was unbeaten on 3.
Namibia closed on 321 for 6, with 16 extras including 11 wides.
Gavin Hoey was comfortably Ireland’s best bowler with 3 for 53 from his ten overs, an economy of 5.31 on a day when nobody else kept it below seven apart from the spinners. Andy McBrine’s 8-0-41-0 and George Dockrell’s 3-0-14-0 were tidy without threatening; Campher’s ten overs cost 74.
Second Innings – Ireland 290 All Out
Chasing 322, Ireland started as though the target was manageable. Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie put on 54 for the first wicket, and Ireland were 98 for 1 with the required rate under control.
Balbirnie was run out for 22 from 34 balls by a substitute fielder — the first of two run outs in the innings, and a costly way to lose a set batter. Stirling made 77 from 71 balls with eight fours and three sixes, his second successive fifty of the series, before Jack Brassell trapped him lbw.
Then came the passage that decided the match. From 98 for 1, Ireland slid to 125 for 5, losing four wickets for 27 runs. Cade Carmichael was bowled by Max Heingo for 12, Harry Tector bowled by Loftie-Eaton for 6, and Lorcan Tucker caught by Smit off Brassell for a five-ball duck. Stirling’s dismissal came in the same collapse, and the position he had built went with it.
George Dockrell and Curtis Campher answered with 85 for the sixth wicket, Dockrell making 48 from 48 balls with five fours and two sixes, Campher 45 from 45. Both fell to Brassell, caught by Zane Green, and both dismissals were the difference between a chase and a scramble.
Andy McBrine was run out for 7 by Erasmus. The last real threat came from an unlikely source: Gavin Hoey, who had already taken three wickets, made 31 from 21 balls with three sixes and not a single four, and his 58-run stand with Jai Moondra brought the equation within reach.
Erasmus broke it himself, taking a return catch to dismiss Moondra for 20, and then had Hoey caught by Brassell to end the innings at 290 in 47.3 overs, with Byron McDonough stranded on 0 not out.
Erasmus finished with 2 for 13 from 3.3 overs — figures that, set beside 156 not out, make this one of the most complete individual performances in a Namibian ODI.
Namibia vs Ireland 2nd ODI 2026 – Full Scorecard
Namibia innings — 321/6 (50 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael van Lingen | c Stirling b Campher | 22 | 31 | 4 | 0 | 70.97 |
| Louren Steenkamp | c Tucker b McDonough | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Jan Frylinck | c Moondra b Hoey | 76 | 90 | 6 | 2 | 84.44 |
| Gerhard Erasmus (c) | not out | 156* | 125 | 14 | 4 | 124.80 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | c Stirling b Hoey | 15 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 68.18 |
| Zane Green (wk) | c Stirling b Hoey | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 42.86 |
| Alexander Busing-Volschenk | c sub b Moondra | 30 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Jonathan Smit | not out | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 75.00 |
Extras 16 (11 wides, 5 leg byes). Total: 321 for 6 in 50 overs, run rate 6.42. Did not bat: Ruben Trumpelmann, Max Heingo, Jack Brassell. Verified anchors: 49 for 2; third-wicket stand of 117 between Frylinck and Erasmus.
Ireland bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Hoey | 10 | 0 | 53 | 3 | 5.31 |
| Jai Moondra | 10 | 1 | 63 | 1 | 6.31 |
| Byron McDonough | 9 | 0 | 71 | 1 | 7.89 |
| Curtis Campher | 10 | 0 | 74 | 1 | 7.41 |
| Andy McBrine | 8 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 5.13 |
| George Dockrell | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 4.67 |
Ireland innings — 290 all out (47.3 overs)
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Balbirnie | run out (sub) | 22 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 64.71 |
| Paul Stirling (c) | lbw b Brassell | 77 | 71 | 8 | 3 | 108.45 |
| Cade Carmichael | b Heingo | 12 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 54.55 |
| Harry Tector | b Loftie-Eaton | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Lorcan Tucker (wk) | c Smit b Brassell | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Curtis Campher | c Green b Brassell | 45 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 100.00 |
| George Dockrell | c Green b Brassell | 48 | 48 | 5 | 2 | 100.00 |
| Andy McBrine | run out (Erasmus) | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Gavin Hoey | c Brassell b Erasmus | 31 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 147.62 |
| Jai Moondra | c & b Erasmus | 20 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 105.26 |
| Byron McDonough | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Extras 22 (18 wides, 4 leg byes). Total: 290 all out in 47.3 overs. Verified anchors: 54 for 1, 98 for 1, 125 for 5; sixth-wicket stand of 85 between Dockrell and Campher; stand of 58 between Hoey and Moondra.
Namibia bowling
| Bowler | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Brassell | 10 | 0 | 52 | 4 | 5.20 |
| Gerhard Erasmus | 3.3 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 3.71 |
| Max Heingo | 8 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton | 7 | 0 | 49 | 1 | 7.00 |
| Jonathan Smit | 9 | 0 | 61 | 0 | 6.78 |
| Ruben Trumpelmann | 10 | 1 | 63 | 0 | 6.30 |
Eight wickets to the bowlers, plus two run outs, makes ten. Namibia’s attack conceded 18 wides — the sort of indiscipline that usually costs a side a close match, and did not here.
Top Performers of the Match
Gerhard Erasmus is the match in one line: 156 not out from 125 balls with 14 fours and four sixes, then 2 for 13 from 3.3 overs, including both wickets that ended Ireland’s final stand. He captained the side, scored nearly half its runs and bowled the last over of the match. It is his highest ODI score, and the Player of the Match award was never in question.
Jack Brassell’s 4 for 52 from ten overs was the best bowling return on either side and the most underrated performance of the day. He removed Stirling, Tucker, Campher and Dockrell — Ireland’s captain and the three batters who made the chase look possible — at an economy of 5.20.
Jan Frylinck’s 76 from 90 is the innings that will be overlooked and should not be. Namibia were 49 for 2 when the pair came together; his 117-run stand with Erasmus is what made a total of 321 possible.
Paul Stirling’s 77 from 71 balls was Ireland’s best, his second successive fifty of the series, and for twenty overs it had Ireland comfortably in the chase.
Gavin Hoey had the most productive all-round day on the losing side: 3 for 53 with the ball, then 31 from 21 balls batting at nine — three sixes and no fours, which tells you exactly what he was trying to do. His stand with Moondra was the last thing between Ireland and defeat.
Key Turning Points
- The 117-run third-wicket stand between Erasmus and Frylinck. At 49 for 2 Ireland were on top. This partnership turned a likely total of around 230 into one over 300.
- Ireland’s slide from 98 for 1 to 125 for 5. Four wickets for 27 runs, including Stirling lbw to Brassell and Tucker for a duck, took the chase from controlled to desperate in a handful of overs.
- Brassell removing Dockrell and Campher. Their 85-run stand had repaired the collapse and taken Ireland to 210. Both fell to the same bowler, caught by the same fielder, and the innings never recovered a settled pair.
- Erasmus dismissing Moondra and then Hoey. The 58-run stand had brought the target within range. The captain took both wickets himself, the second of them ending the match.
What the Result Means for the Ireland Tour of Namibia 2026
The series is level at 1-1. Ireland took the first ODI; Namibia have answered immediately, and neither side has yet established control of the tour.
For Namibia, the encouraging part is not the total but its distribution. Erasmus has carried the batting before, and a 117-run partnership with Frylinck from 49 for 2 suggests the middle order can absorb early damage — though a card showing 156 not out alongside three single-figure scores is not a settled batting line-up. Brassell’s four-for gives them a genuine second match-winner.
For Ireland, the concerns are specific rather than general. Ninety-eight for one should not become 125 for five. Two run outs in a chase of 322, one of them a set opener, is careless. And 18 wides conceded was a gift that very nearly did not matter — Namibia won by 31 and bowled 18 wides; Ireland bowled 11.
The sides return to action on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. Readers should check the official series schedule for the confirmed venue and start time of the next fixture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Namibia vs Ireland 2nd ODI in 2026?
Namibia won by 31 runs at Windhoek on 24 October 2026. They made 321 for 6 and bowled Ireland out for 290 in 47.3 overs. The result levelled the series at 1-1.
Where was the second ODI between Namibia and Ireland played?
At the High Performance Oval in Windhoek, Namibia, which some live-score services list as the Namibia Cricket Ground. The match began at 9:30 AM local time, which is 1:00 PM Indian Standard Time.
What was the final score of the Namibia vs Ireland match?
Namibia 321 for 6 in 50 overs; Ireland 290 all out in 47.3 overs. Namibia won by 31 runs with 15 balls of the Irish innings remaining.
Who scored the most runs in the second ODI?
Gerhard Erasmus of Namibia, with a career-best 156 not out from 125 balls including 14 fours and four sixes. Jan Frylinck made 76 for Namibia and Paul Stirling 77 for Ireland.
Who took the most wickets in the match?
Jack Brassell took 4 for 52 from ten overs for Namibia, the best figures of the match. Gavin Hoey took 3 for 53 for Ireland, and Gerhard Erasmus finished with 2 for 13 from 3.3 overs.
Who won Player of the Match?
Gerhard Erasmus, for his unbeaten 156 and his 2 for 13. He captained Namibia, scored nearly half the side’s runs and took the final wicket of the match.
What is the series score after the second ODI?
The series is level at 1-1. Ireland won the first ODI and Namibia the second, with further matches still to be played on the tour.
Where can readers find the official Namibia vs Ireland scorecard?
The full scorecard is published on ESPNcricinfo, and Cricket Ireland has issued an official match report titled “Series leveller”. The tables above reflect the completed official card.
Conclusion
Namibia were 49 for 2 after being put in and finished with 321. The difference was Gerhard Erasmus, who made 156 not out, and Jan Frylinck, whose 76 gave him the platform to do it.
Ireland’s reply had more than enough in it — Stirling’s 77, an 85-run stand between Dockrell and Campher, and a late push from Hoey and Moondra that briefly made the target look possible. What they could not undo was losing four wickets for 27 runs in the middle overs, and it was Jack Brassell who did most of that damage before Erasmus closed the match out with the ball.
The series is level with the third ODI on Tuesday. Follow our cricket section for the next match preview, full scorecards and series coverage.
Published: 25 October 2026. Last updated: 25 October 2026 with the complete official scorecard. Both innings have been checked against the official card and reconcile exactly: Namibia’s 305 off the bat plus 16 extras makes 321, and Ireland’s 268 plus 22 extras makes 290. The only figure not yet published is the ball-by-ball fall-of-wickets sequence; the verified partnership and score anchors are given instead.
