ABU DHABI: Namibia earned their first points of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, keeping their hopes of reaching the Super 12 stage alive.

Namibia overcame a mid-innings stutter to beat a target of 165 with six wickets and six balls to spare thanks to David Wiese's unbeaten 66 off 40 balls.

Despite Max O'Dowd's second consecutive half-century, the Netherlands' campaign is in shambles after two losses in a row.

Namibia was three wickets down in the tenth over and had two new batters at the crease in Wiese and Gerhard Erasmus. The pair, however, refused to go on the defensive.

In an over that cost 16 runs, Roelof Van der Merwe was taken for two sixes, one of which Wiese hit straight down the ground. Colin Ackermann gave up 19 points after Wiese went over the bowler again.

Wiese's fifty came off just 29 balls, and he capped it off with his fourth six of the day, this one over cover.

Erasmus' 32 off 22 balls was instrumental in the match-winning partnership of 93 off 51 balls.

The Netherlands had little to say in response to Wiese's ball striking. While Erasmus was sent back and Fred Klaassen bowled a tight spell at the end, JJ Smit completed the formalities for a famous victory.

The Wiese innings turned a game that had been evenly matched up until that point. Namibia had made a steady start before the Netherlands were rewarded for attacking the stumps.

Zane Green began the chase with back-to-back fours off Colin Ackermann in the second over, bringing out the sweep and reverse sweep. That set the tone for the rest of the Powerplay.

Stephan Baard made good use of his feet, walking across the stumps to expose the leg side. He survived a run-out opportunity and made the Netherlands pay with a boundary on the next ball.

The reintroduction of Klaassen provided a much-needed breakthrough for the Netherlands, as Green chopped on to his stumps. Craig Williams and Baard were then bowled out in consecutive overs, both by spin.

However, with Wiese and Erasmus in the middle, Namibia remained in the hunt.

Earlier, it was stated that the Netherlands took a more positive approach to their batting than in their previous game. Stephan Myburgh was one of two changes to the starting lineup, replacing opener Ben Cooper.

In the second over, Myburgh and O'Dowd welcomed Wiese with a couple of fours. O'Dowd then pulled a short ball from Ruben Trumpelmann for a six, followed by a lofted four down the line.

Van der Merwe, who was promoted in order to get some quick runs, demonstrated his intent with a reverse-swept four. He was caught in the deep, however, without adding much more, giving Wiese his first wicket.

Namibia's bowlers were astute with their lines as they were with the slow bouncer. The Netherlands had reached 69/2 at the halfway point, and the innings was evenly balanced.

The Netherlands innings was built around O'Dowd's knock. He contributed to a steady opening stand of 42 in 34 balls before overcoming heat and exhaustion to add 82 for the third wicket.

In the sweltering heat of Abu Dhabi, he faced several run-out opportunities if the Namibian fielders had hit the target. However, he did a good job of moving his feet, finding gaps, and keeping the scoreboard ticking.

With a four, he brought up his fifty with a lofted shot to the shorter boundary on the off-side. He went on to make 70 off 56 balls before being run out in the final over while attempting the second.

Scott Edwards came in at the end and hit three boundaries for a quick 21* off just 11 balls. However, with few other Netherlands batters clearing the ropes in the dying inning, they paid the price for being a few runs short.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - T20WorldCup