Craig Ervine stroked an unbeaten 55 © Getty
A determined display from Zimbabwe's spinners and some excellent death bowling from Tendai Chatara saw the hosts rein in Namibia to close out an unlikely win in the first match of this week's inaugural five-match T20I series between the two sides, Milton Shumba's spell of 3-16 in three overs turning the game after debutant Diwan la Cock had put the visitors on top with a quick-fire 66 from the top of the order.

On a day dominated by the slow bowlers, Namibia had restricted Zimbabwe to 153-4 despite a captain's knock from Craig Ervine, who hit an unbeaten 55 from number three, and had looked well set in the chase so long la Cock was at the crease, but Milton Shumba led a fightback with the ball, finding the wickets of Gerhard Erasmus, Jan Loftie-Eaton and finally la Cock himself as Namibia subsided from 67-0 to 119-4, with Chatara holding them off at the death to seal a nervy seven-run win for the hosts.

Zimbabwe had gotten off to a positive start after electing to bat, Wessley Madhevere dominating the scoring in a 34-run opening stand with Regis Chakabva, making light work of the Namibia new-ball attack and scoring at close to 200 as he raced to 23. The introduction of spin would pull things back Namibia's way however, Bernhard Scholtz having Madhevere caught at mid on off a big leading edge with his second ball and then doing for Regis Chakabva in his next over with a lovely delivery that drifted into the right hander and then ripped back to take off stump.

Sikandar Raza and Ervine would steady the innings, building an accelerating 71-run partnership as Zimbabwe pushed on to 114-2 with five overs remaining. Erasmus brought himself on to break the partnership and duly remove Raza with his second ball, quicker and flatter and under Raza's bat on the slog-sweep, and Pikky Ya France found reward in the next over, Shumba driving low into the hands of Erasmus at cover. But Ervine would press on undeterred, bringing up his fifty off the penultimate ball of the innings, slog-sweeping Erasmus high over the midwicket rope and entirely out of the ground, and taking his side to 153-4 by the break.

Namibia looked to have the game well in hand for much of the chase, the Zimbabwean seamers were wayward early and debutant la Cock profited, he and Craig Williams taking Namibia to 45 without loss in the powerplay, la Cock bringing up the fifty partnership in the next over pulling a drag-down from Mavuta wide of midwicket for a hard-run two. With Ervine turning to spin at both ends, Raza looked initially economical but lost his length three balls into his spell, dropping short and pulled hard and high for six over the on side by la Cock, but almost bagging a wicket with a similar delivery next ball with Jongwe holding the catch on the rope, only to have to throw it back in as his momentum carried him over.

Williams would have no such luck in the next over however, picking out Madhevere at deep midwicket off Mavuta. Spin would continue to pay dividends as Shumba had Erasmus caught two overs later, Erasmus down the track and miscuing out high behind point where Tiripano held over the shoulder. La Cock continued to punish anything short however, Madhevere similarly put away for six over the on side in the 13th, and going to fifty soon after punching Mavuta out toward long on for a single. He would lose another partner on the next ball however, Loftie-Eaton down the track and Mavuta pushing it wide of him, quick work from Chakabva behind the stumps to finish the job.

La Cock would keep the momentum rolling however, using the crease to get under Raza and lift him over long on in the 16th, leaving Namibia with 43 to get off the final four overs. Another drag-down from Shumba got the treatment too, over long on to take La Cock to 66, but he could not get enough of the next and holed out to Jongwe at deep midwicket to bring David Wiese in to join Zane Green with 33 still required.

Chatara would miss the mark just once in the next over and be pulled round the corner by Green for four, leaving the game in the balance with 24 needed off the last 12 balls. Neither Green nor Weise could find the rope in the next as Jongwe kept the pace off the ball, until Green dinked the penultimate ball over the 'keeper for four. Chatara would take the ball to defend 14 off the 20th over, and second ball would remove Green with a wide yorker somehow edged through behind. Persisting with the slow yorker strategy would pay off, Trumpelmann and Wiese unable to get the ball to the boundary and Namibia falling eight runs short in the end.