BRIDGETOWN: Namibia scored a nerve-shredding victory over Oman in their T20 World Cup Group B clash in Barbados on Sunday after a low-scoring thriller was decided by a super over.
David Wiese was the hero for Namibia, contributing 13 runs in the Africans’ super over total of 21 before then restricting Oman to 10 runs with the ball in hand to seal a crucial win at Kensington Oval.
The match had gone to a decisive extra over after a tense duel saw both teams finish with 109 runs from their allotted 20 overs.
Oman had looked to be heading for defeat after a superb four-wicket bowling display from Ruben Trumpelmann saw them all out for 109 off 19.4 overs.
But Oman’s bowlers responded with a disciplined performance to contain Namibia’s bats, with Mehran Khan conjuring a superb spell to leave the match on a knife edge.
Khan finished with figures of three wickets for seven runs off three overs.
The veteran Oman bowler took two wickets in the final over to frustrate Namibia, who had needed just five runs from the over to clinch victory.
But Khan was bizarrely overlooked for the super over bowling duties by Oman, with Bilal Khan handed the ball instead.
That move backfired spectacularly, though, with Wiese blasting a four off the first ball and then crushing a full toss for six off Khan’s second delivery.
Wiese took three more runs off the next two balls before Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus hit back-to-back fours to set Oman a daunting victory target of 22 off their super over.
Wiese took over the bowling duties for Namibia and after conceding just two runs from his first two deliveries, took the wicket of Naseem Khushi.
Two more singles left Oman needing 18 from the last delivery to win, meaning Wiese could allow Zeeshan Maqsood to blast a six knowing victory was assured.
“I definitely aged a couple of years tonight,” the 39-year-old Wiese said. “And I don’t have a lot of years left in me. It was an emotionally draining evening.”
Wiese said he had been confident of steering Namibia to victory with bat and ball in the super over.
“It helped that I had a feel of the game and knew if I get a few hits out in the Super Over .... then with the ball, felt like taking the ball and executing.
“The pitch was difficult and didn’t play the way we thought. But we adapted well.”
Oman captain Aqib Ilyas was left lamenting an agonizing near-miss — but defended the decision to opt for Bilal as the super over bowler over the in-form Khan.
“I think Bilal is one of the best bowlers you can have at this level,” Aqib said. “But there are days where you plan and it doesn’t execute.
“He was clear, we were clear, but maybe the ball was wet and he couldn’t execute.”
Earlier, Trumpelmann had given Namibia a dream start with two wickets from the first two deliveries of the match, part of a four-wicket performance. Wiese also impressed in the regulation 20 overs with 3-28 off 3.4 overs.
Namibia made hard work of the run chase, however, with Jan Frylinck (45) and Niko Davin (24) top scoring as the southern Africans came up just short of their victory target.
Namibia defeat Oman in T20 World Cup after super over thriller
https://arab.news/zf7np
Namibia defeat Oman in T20 World Cup after super over thriller
John Cena retires from in-ring competition after unparalleled career in WWE
- Cena was one of a few WWE superstars such as Hulk Hogan who were admired in Saudi Arabia and the region
- His career spanned more than two decades on top of the sports entertainment landscape
RIYADH: John Cena officially retired from in-ring competition on Dec. 13 after competing his final match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in Washington, DC.
Cena, a 17-time world champion, tapped out to a sleeper hold after a brutal 24-minute match with rising Austrian superstar Gunther, a result which stunned and disappointed some fans but served to elevate Gunther’s status as a dominant force in the sport. Cena would not have left the world of sports entertainment without the long-standing tradition of paying it forward to elevate talent on the way out of the business.
The legendary superstar first announced his plan to retire from being an active member of the WWE roster in July of 2024 during the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event. Cena said that 2025 would be his last as an active in-ring performer and he embarked on a year-long farewell tour.
Cena was one of a select few of WWE Superstars such as Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin who were at the forefront of fans’ admiration in Saudi Arabia and considered as unofficial ambassadors to American sports, entertainment and pop culture.
This admiration only amplified after March 2018 through the partnership deal between the General Entertainment Authority and the WWE for an exclusive 10-year contract to hold multiple events in the Kingdom.
This partnership was a catalyst for Cena to hold a special place in the hearts of fans in the Kingdom. He has competed in three significant matches in Saudi Arabia. His first match in the Kingdom was during the Greatest Royal Rumble in April of 2018 where he defeated Triple H in the opening match of the event, which was also the first major WWE show in Saudi Arabia under the partnership.
His second match was in 2023 during November’s Crown Jewel where Cena lost to Solo Sikoa after a brutal match in which he endured nine Samoan Spikes from the rising Samoan star. In his final appearance in Saudi Arabia, John Cena defeated his long-time rival CM Punk to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship in the main event of the Night of Champions held last June in Riyadh.
Since the partnership began, major events such as Crown Jewel, Elimination Chamber, and King & Queen of the Ring have been held in the Kingdom. The partnership also includes the Royal Rumble in January 2026 and WrestleMania 43 in 2027 — the first times these events have been held outside of North America.
Cena began an illustrious career that spanned 26 years and started in November 1999 before signing a developmental contract with the WWE in 2001. His first televised WWE match was against WWE Hall of Fame inductee and Olympic gold medalist and former world champion, Kurt Angle, in the June 27, 2002 edition of WWE’s blue-branded show SmackDown.
Cena’s introduction to the WWE fanbase started when he answered Angle’s open challenge and introduced himself as possessing “ruthless aggression” before slapping Angle and starting the match.
At WrestleMania 20 in 2004, Cena defeated Big Show in the opening match to win his first championship in WWE, the US Championship at Madison Square Garden. This marked Cena’s first WrestleMania appearance and the beginning of his significant championship collection, and was a pivotal moment in his career.
A year later in 2005, Cena defeated John Bradshaw Layfield at WrestleMania 21 for his first WWE championship, marking his official transition to top star.
Cena is a ten-time Slammy Award winner, and has headlined WrestleMania a record six times. Cena holds a record of 17-WWE World Champion wins (14 WWE Championship, three World Heavyweight Championship) under his belt, only surpassing Ric Flair's 16 reigns, a record Flair held for years.
Cena is a two-time Royal Rumble winner (2008, 2013) and a one-time Money in the Bank winner (2012). He is recognized as both a Triple Crown and Grand Slam champion, holding the US Championship five times, Intercontinental Championship once, WWE Tag Team Championship twice, with The Miz and David Otunga, and World Tag Team Championship twice with Dave Batista and The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels.
Cena became the face of the WWE brand over the past two decades. He also enjoyed the accolade of being the longest-reigning face of the WWE brand before he transitioned to a part-time schedule around 2017 to focus on his acting career. He has built a significant career in film and philanthropy.
He holds the record for the most wishes granted by any celebrity for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with more than 650 wishes fulfilled. In 2005, he released the rap album “You Can’t See Me,” which debuted at No. 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Cena has successfully transitioned to acting, with notable roles in films such as
“Trainwreck,” “Blockers,” “Bumblebee,” “F9,” and “The Suicide Squad” as the character Peacemaker, which was also spun off as a superhero series for HBO Max.
