USA captain Monank Patel paired with Sai Mukkamalla for a century stand to help the visitors claim the first match of the ODI tri-series over hosts Namibia. 

File photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
A century stand between USA captain Monank Patel and Sai Mukkamalla ensured the Americans got their Cricket World Cup League Two ODI tour of Namibia off to a winning start in a six-wicket victory over the hosts on Monday at United Cricket Club in Windhoek. Monank was named Player of the Match for his 72 off 82 balls and combined for a 106-run third-wicket partnership with Mukkamalla, who carried on after the dismissal of Monank to get USA over the line with an unbeaten 59 off 71 balls as the visitors chased down a target of 200 with 8.3 overs to spare. 
 
USA was rarely troubled by Namibia’s bowling unit while in pursuit of the target. It took an incredible one-handed leaping catch at gully by Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton to intercept Smit Patel’s cut shot for 9 in the eighth over to give Tangeni Lungameni a wicket. Playing his first match for USA since the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, Sushant Modani scored an impressive 36 at a run a ball before he ran himself out taking off from the non-striker’s end looking for a single on a ball tapped behind point by Monank Patel off Lungameni only for Loftie-Eaton to close in from backward point and fire a direct hit at the non-striker’s end after Monank had rejected the run. 
 
The runout made the score 57 for 2 in the 14^th and brought Mukkamalla to the crease, who was playing his first ODI since the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe having only played in the T20I leg of USA’s tour of the Netherlands. The 20-year-old was fluent from his arrival and punished Loftie-Eaton’s legspin by pulling a half-tracker over midwicket for six in the 17^th over. He continued to score at a run a ball for the majority of his innings, only slowing down once he neared a half-century. Monank was just as impressive at the opposite end, bringing up his half-century off of 69 balls in the 28^th over. 
 
Monank had a close shave on 60 in the 32^nd over as a flat drive wide of long-off against the left-arm spin of Bernard Scholtz wound up grazing the fingertips of Jan Frylinck’s leaping effort on the boundary before going over the rope for six. Monank added one final boundary in the following over off Gerhard Erasmus to finish with seven fours and the lone six in his knock before he walked too far across his stumps trying to flick Erasmus through the leg side and was bowled behind his legs to end the partnership with Mukkamalla. Milind Kumar was dismissed by the Namibia captain for a golden duck on the next ball as Erasmus darted in a quicker delivery to catch Milind off guard as the ball zinged him in the pads in front of middle stump for a straightforward lbw decision making it 163 for 4. 
 
But with just 37 runs needed and 17 overs left, Mukkamalla and Shayan Jahangir calmly knocked off the rest of the runs required. Mukkamalla eventually brought up a 61-ball half-century in the 38^th over before Jahangir struck the winning single three balls into the 42^nd over to finish 21 not out. 
 
Erasmus finished with Namibia’s best bowling figures on the day, taking 2 for 34 in eight overs. Lungameni was the only other bowler to take a wicket, claiming 1 for 34 in seven. Scholtz, Loftie-Eaton, Jan-Izak De Villiers and Ben Shikongo all finished wicketless on the day. 
 
USA’s relatively short target was set up by a disciplined collective bowling effort as all six options used by USA took at least one wicket to help restrict Namibia to 199 for 9 after USA had won the toss and sent the hosts in to bat first. 
 
Juanoy Drysdale benefitted from dot ball pressure being built at the opposite end by Saurabh Netravalkar – the left-arm pace bowler’s first match for USA since the T20 World Cup after sitting out the Netherlands tour while on paternity leave – before Drysdale finally struck in the sixth, getting JP Kotze defending down the wrong line to win an lbw decision for 8. Drysdale struck again in the eighth as Michael van Lingen’s attempted pull resulted in a top-edge to Mukkamalla at extra cover for 5 to make it 19 for 2. 
 
Erasmus teamed with Frylinck to help the hosts get back on track with a 75-run partnership. Frylinck brought up a 61-ball half-century in the 25^th over off Milind Kumar before Milind struck back on his next delivery, getting Erasmus bowled for 27 after the captain played inside the line of a carrom ball. Milind struck again later in the over as Malan Kruger defended down the wrong line for another lbw decision to make it 98 for 4. 
 
Frylinck’s concentration was broken by the second drinks interval and he fell four balls after play resumed in the 35^th, bowled by a length ball from Jessy Singh for 70. Loftie-Eaton reached 17 before Nosthush Kenjige struck on the very final ball of his 10-over spell. The left-arm spinner had worked hard to keep Erasmus tied down throughout his spell and finally got a deserved wicket when Loftie-Eaton sliced to Monank at short third to make it 167 for 6. 
 
JJ Smit battled on for Namibia at one end but on the other end, Namibia’s tailenders struggled in the face of sustained pressure from the left-arm pace and spin duo of Netravalkar and Harmeet Singh. Harmeet claimed a wicket with an outstanding return catch to knife a blistering drive by de Villiers at waist height for 5 in the 46^th. Netravalkar struck in the next over, getting Scholtz for a golden duck as a leading edge off an attempted drive was taken on a superb diving effort by Monank at extra cover. Smit’s defiance finally ended one run short of a half-century in the 49^th when Netravalkar bowled him with a slower ball as Smit’s slog went awry for 49 to make it 196 for 9. The last pair of Shikongo and Lungameni could only add three runs off the final 11 balls of the innings to take Namibia to their final total.
 
Drysdale ended with USA’s best figures on the day, taking 2 for 16 in six overs. Milind returned 2 for 18 in five overs while Netravalkar ended with 2 for 41 in 10 overs. The left-arm spin tandem of Kenjige and Harmeet returned 1 for 28 and 1 for 48 respectively. Jessy Singh ended with 1 for 44 in nine overs. 
 
USA is back in action on Wednesday when they face the United Arab Emirates in the second match of the tri-series at United Cricket Club with a 9:30 am local time start, 3:30 am ET on the east coast of the USA.