
Canadian men edge Namibia in ICC World Cup League 2 one-day cricket thriller
The one-day international in Windhoek, Namibia went to a deciding over when it finished in a tie. That meant both sides had six balls to add to their total, each nominating three batsman and one bowler.
JJ Smit and captain Gerhard Erasmus took the crease for Namibia with Kaleem Sana bowling for Canada. The Namibians scored zero, one (on a bye) and one with Smit caught on the fourth delivery.
That brought in Ruben Trumpelmann, who added one run off the fifth delivery. Swinging for the boundary, Erasmus was caught by Canada captain Nicholas Kirton on the final ball of the over with just three runs scored.
Needing four runs to win off Smit, Kirton and Singh made it with three balls to spare in the super over.
Kirton scored a single and Singh added a pair, leaving Canada with four balls to secure the winning run. Singh then hit a four to end the drama.
Canada moved into second place in the standings at 9-4-1 with 19 points, behind the U.S. (11-5-0, 22 points). Oman is third on 18 points and the Dutch fourth on 17. Namibia is sixth on 12 points.
The World League 2 features eight teams — also including Nepal, Oman, Scotland, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S., with each of the sides playing 36 one-day internationals spread across nine triangular series through December 2026.
The top four teams move on to a 10-country World Cup Qualifier that will send the last four teams to the 2027 World Cup.
The bottom four teams can also progress to the Qualifier but will have to get there via the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff which includes the top four teams from the Cricket World Cup Challenge League.
Canada won promotion from the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Playoff.
Canada won the toss and elected to bat Sunday, finishing at 167 for eight in 39 overs at Wanderers Cricket Ground on a day when concerns over lightning limited play. Namibia was set a victory target of 175 according to the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which sets a @fair target for the chasing team in an interrupted game of one-day cricket.
Namibia needed 20 runs in its final three overs with just two wickets left. After conceding a four, Sana bowled Shaun Fouche to move one step closer to snuffing out the threat.
That left Namibia needing 16 runs off 16 balls with Dylan Leicher and Bernard Scholtz the last hopes at the crease. Namibia kept chipping away.
The home side required seven runs to win in its final over against Sana. Leicher, 20, was on the defensive for the first two balls, unable to score, but scored two off the third delivery and a four off the fourth.
That left Namibia with two balls to score one run for the win. Leicher was unable to make contact with the penultimate delver, leading the game to be decided by the last ball.
Leicher went for the winning run off a weak final hit but was run out by Sana with Namibia finishing at 174 for 10.
Canada opener Navneet Dhaliwal, named man of the match, led the way with 54 runs in 84 balls including three fours and three sixes. Harsh Thaker added 26 runs and fellow opener Yuvraj Samra contributed 24.
Erasmus led Namibia with 41 runs before being caught by wicketkeeper Shreyas Movva off a Dilon Heyliger delivery. Heyliger led Canada's bowlers with three wickets.
Canada's opening game of the triangular series against the Netherlands was abandoned Wednesday without a single ball played due to rain.
Canada faces the Netherlands on Tuesday and Namibia again next Saturday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Delayed start at Belgian Grand Prix highlights Formula 1's challenge with racing in the rain
Of all the thousands of pieces of equipment that Formula 1 hauls around the world, few are used less often than the full wet tire. They stayed piled up in stacks, not on the cars, on Sunday as drivers sat out a rain delay of more than an hour to the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. It wasn't because F1 cars lack grip in heavy rain. Manufacturer Pirelli says the full wet tires can cope with that. The problem is that drivers behind can't see through the spray, and the first attempt to start Sunday's race on time illustrated the problem. Even crawling around at formation lap pace with only Lando Norris and the safety car ahead, eventual winner Oscar Piastri said he 'couldn't see a thing,' adding, 'you can only imagine what it's like for the guys at the back.' When the race started, it was behind the safety car at low speed before the all-clear to go racing. Like all of the drivers, Piastri was using the intermediate tires, which are recommended for light rain or a drying track, when he eventually passed Norris for the win. 'The past few years, particularly here, we've given the (governing body) FIA feedback that we would much rather be on the safe side than risk anything,' Piastri said. 'If you were to be picky, maybe we could have done one less formation lap (behind the safety car), but in the grand scheme of things, if that's one lap too early, is it worth it? No.' Visibility is a particular concern at Spa, a fast track with a history of serious accidents. They include Anthoine Hubert's death in a Formula 2 crash in dry conditions in 2019 and another fatal accident claiming the life of Dutch teenage driver Dilano van 't Hoff in a junior series in the rain in 2023. 'I have to say that on a track like this, with what happened historically, I think you cannot forget about it. For that reason I would rather be safe than (start) too early,' said Charles Leclerc, who finished third Sunday and who was friends with Hubert since childhood. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Under the current F1 design regulations in place since 2022, cars have ground-effect aerodynamics which use the floor to generate grip but can also throw up more spray. If there's enough rain for the full wet tires to be faster than the intermediates, it's likely the race will be stopped because of poor visibility anyway. There was a reminder of the importance of visibility this month at the British Grand Prix when Isack Hadjar collided with Kimi Antonelli's car from behind while driving in the Italian's trail of spray. 'I didn't see him,' Hadjar said. 'He just appeared out of nowhere, man. Oh my God.' ___ AP auto racing:


Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Spanish rider Garcia becomes the oldest stage winner at women's Tour de France at age 41
QUIMPER, France (AP) — Mavi Garcia became the oldest rider to win a stage at the women's Tour de France on Sunday. The 41-year-old Spaniard clinched the second stage on Sunday with a solo breakaway. She looked back twice before realizing she would not be caught and then raised her arms aloft at the finish line. Dutch rider Annemiek van Vleuten was 39 when she won a mountain stage on the 2022 women's Tour, organizers said. Garcia attacked with about 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) left on the 110.4- kilometer hilly stage through Brittany and ending in Quimper. She looked like being caught near the end as the peloton loomed large behind her, but she kicked in and won by three seconds. Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes was second and Kim Le Court of Mauritius took third place in a sprint to the line. Le Court did just enough to take the race leader's yellow jersey from cycling great Marianne Vos, who won Saturday's opening stage in a close finish and placed fifth on Sunday. Le Court and Vos have the same overall time after two stages, but Le Court now leads overall courtesy of her better combined stage finishes over the first two days. Stage 3 on Monday is a flat stage for sprinters, ending in the western city of Angers. The nine-stage race ends on Aug. 3. Last year provided the smallest winning margin in the history of the women's and men's races, with Polish rider Kasia Niewiadoma beating 2023 champion Demi Vollering by four seconds, and Pauliena Rooijakkers only 10 seconds off the pace in third place. ___ AP sports:


Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
Verstappen overtakes Piastri to win sprint race at Belgian GP at start of new Red Bull era in F1
Published Jul 26, 2025 • 2 minute read Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen drives during the Sprint Race of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Spa, on July 26, 2025. Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF / AFP via Getty Images SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri and drove '15 qualifying laps' to win the Formula 1 sprint race at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday as Red Bull begins a new era without fired team principal Christian Horner. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Verstappen surged past Piastri on the straight on the first lap. The Australian was close behind Verstappen for the rest of the 15-lap sprint race but couldn't find a way past the four-time champion. Lando Norris, in the other McLaren, was third after retaking the place from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and catching up to Piastri. Verstappen races 'over the limit' 'You're keeping faster cars behind, so you have to drive over the limit of what you think is possible,' Verstappen said. 'Tire management is out of the window, so that's what's making it really difficult. I'm just doing 15 qualifying laps to try and keep them behind on a track where tire management is important.' It was Verstappen's first race win of any sort since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in May, and his first in a sprint since the United States Grand Prix last October. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Piastri extends his lead over Norris in the standings to nine points from eight. Verstappen is third, 68 points off the lead. Leclerc held on to fourth and it was an impressive result for Haas, with Esteban Ocon fifth and Oliver Bearman seventh. Carlos Sainz, Jr. was sixth for Williams and Isack Hadjar took the final point for Racing Bulls in eighth. McLaren's dilemma Qualifying takes place later Saturday for Sunday's Grand Prix race, and McLaren has a decision to make after losing out to Verstappen and Red Bull in the sprint. Verstappen couldn't match the McLarens for overall pace but he was fastest where it mattered. He opted for a lower-downforce rear wing to maximize top speed at the cost of grip. That helped Verstappen with his first-lap pass for the lead and then helped ensure Piastri was too far back on the straights to line up an overtake of his own into the following corners. 'I didn't have enough straight-line speed,' Piastri admitted, but said the risk of rain on Sunday would make it a gamble to follow Verstappen's example. 'The weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow, which obviously means you probably don't want to take off too much wing, but I don't really want to repeat the sprint we've just had,' he said. 'We'll have a look, see what we can do.' Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Care for a wager? Head to our sports betting section for news and odds. Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays