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Breaking News: FINAL UPDATE Namibia ease to emphatic win

11.01am: The victorious Namibian players walk off the pitch having thumped Bermuda by an innings and 185 runs. They’ve also taken the maximum 20 points available from the game and go second in the Intercontinental Shield standings

*See tomorrow's Royal Gazette for full report and reaction .

 

Day three - how it happened

10.59am: Wicket, it’s all over. Bernard Scholtz takes a stunning caught and bowled from a full-bloodied straight drive by Justin Pitcher. The bowler walks off with his head bowed, but in truth the game was over long before he got to the crease.

Trott is unbeaten on 24, Bermuda are 184 all out. They lasted just just 47.1 overs.

10.50am: They’re back out at Wanderers and it’s now just a case of how long Rodney Trott and Justin Pitcher can hold out against the Namibian bowlers.

10.35am: The rain returns, the players trudge off the field , the covers come on, but it’s merely delaying the inevitable. Bermuda are 182-9, 187 runs short of Namibia’s first innings total, and there are still nearly 40 overs left to play. Mercy rule anyone.

10.17am: Wicket. Klazinga claims his fifth wicket with a ball that nips back and bowls Stefan Kelly for a duck. 169-9

10.15am: Wicket. Ryan Steede is trapped lbw by Klazinga, despite taking a giant stride forward. 169-8

10.13am: That should be that. The loss of Hemp brings Ryan Steede to the crease and any faint hope Bermuda might have retained of taking this game into a fourth day are disappearing rapidly. Hemp scored 65 off 86 balls, with three fours and a six

10.11am: Wicket. Hemp’s out. What a catch, what a catch. Gerrie Snyman flying to his right in the covers plucks the ball out of the air after a full-bloodied drive from the Bermuda skipper and the mini-rival comes to a crashing halt. Bermuda 168-7, still trail by 201 runs

10.07am: Maybe, just maybe. Hemp (65*) and Trott (21*) have put on 65 so far for the seventh wicket. Trott has made a start, and unlike the batsmen who have gone before him, looks like staying there. Bermuda 168-6.

9.51am: The players are back out and there are now 49 overs left in the day. Bermuda are 141-6, and are still 228 runs shy of making Namibia bat again.

9.35am: Apparently nobody is worried about the lightening because the rain has almost stopped and the covers are coming off. The Namibian players are all out helping, I guess I would be too if my side only needed four wickets for such an emphatic win. And no-one wants to come back tomorrow.

9.32am: It’s still raining, and the covers are on, but the umpires have wandered out to have a look at the conditions. There’s lightening in the distance, which doesn’t bode well for our starting again any time soon.

9.13am: The rain’s coming down a lot harder now, and there looks like there is a lot more on the way judging by the storm coming over the mountains in the distance. The players have taken an early tea. Bermuda are 141-6 (Hemp 54*, Trott 9*)

9.03am: There’s thunder and rain, and this time the players are going off. Some heavy black clouds sitting over the ground, but there's plenty of blue sky in the distance. It’s brief respite for Bermuda, but will do little to change the outcome of this game. The tourists are staring at a heavy defeat.

8.57am: It’s raining, which might have meant something if Bermuda were only one down, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain for long, and the players are staying out there.

8.56am: Fifty for David Hemp. The Bermuda skipper sweeps a ball away from Bernard Scholtz for his second half century of the match. Bermuda 131-6.

8.34am: Wicket. That’s just silly. David Hemp pushes the ball towards Gerrie Snyman at long-on and calls Edness through for an easy single. However the Bermuda wicketkeeper opts to saunter down the track like he has all the time in the world and is run out. Ridiculous. Bermuda 104-6.

8.26am: Hundred up. Bermuda reach three figures, with five wickets down. Only another 270 runs needed.

8.23am: Jekon Edness has managed what the two previous batsmen couldn’t and that’s survive his first over. He’s doing more than surviving now however, and at the moment is doing his best to support David Hemp. Bermuda 98-5.8.04am: Wicket. What a snorter of a delivery that is from Louie Klazinga. A vicious inswinging yorker rips out Malachi Jones’ off-stump and this game is as good as over. Bermuda 84-5

8.02am: Wicket. Romaine's brief stay at the crease is ended by a fine yorker from Klazinga. Bermuda 81-4. This game's going to be over by tea time.

8am: Irving Romaine, what are you doing. First ball goes aerial from the former captain and just drops over the heads of several fielders at mid-wicket. There's another day and half to go you know boys.

7.57am: Wicket. Oh no. Outerbridge goes forward to a fuller ball from Verwey, gets an edge into his pads and is caught by Raymond van Schoor at silly mid-on. 80-3.

7.55am: Plenty of noise and chat from the Namibian players, but so far umpires Jeff Luck and Johan Cloete have been unmoved by a variety of appeals.

7.40am: Great first over after lunch from Namibia spinner Toby Verwey. David Hemp is wrapped on the pads twice, big appeals, but nothing given. Bermuda 65-2.

7.01am: That’s lunch. Bermuda are 64–2 chasing 369 to make Namibia bat again. Hemp (20*) and Outerbridge (13*) are looking well set, but there’s an awfully long way to go if they are to save this game. Another five sessions in fact, it’s a big ask.

6.41am: Bermuda 46-2. Twenty minutes to lunch and David Hemp and Stephen Outerbridge have steadied the ship somewhat. Only 323 runs behind now.

6.21am: Wicket. Disaster for Bermuda, a ball after Foggo, Crockwell follows his opening partner back to the pavilion off the first ball of Klazinga’s over. He gloves a rising ball to wicketkeeper Ewald Steenkamp and Bermuda are in real trouble at 25-2, still 344 runs behind.

6.19am: Wicket. Chris Foggo is given out lbw to a ball that looked like it was going down leg side. Not the greatest start for Bermuda, 25-1

5.54am: Here we go, only 370 runs needed to make Namibia bat again.

5.50am: So Bermuda have to bat for five and a half sessions to save the game, anyone else thinking about The Alamo, The Battle of Little Big Horn, The Charge of the Light Brigade. Glorious slaughters the lot. Or maybe there is a Mike Atherton type character in the side, remember his mammoth 10-and-a-half hour innings to save a Test in Johannesburg in 1995?

5.43am: Wicket and declaration. Toby Verwey’s entertaining innings of 35 comes to an end when he drags a short ball from Kelly on to his stumps. Williams is left unbeaten on 110 and Namibia at 583-8 dec have a 369 run lead.

5.38am: Namibia lead by 357 runs. Williams clubs Trott for another huge six, and the home side have taken just 40 minutes to add 66 runs to their overnight total. Declaration time?

5.35am: Williams hundred. The Namibia skipper reaches his century with a straight drive over Trott’s head. Williams’ ton came from just 70 balls and included nine fours and two sixes.

5.14am: Jones’ second over isn’t quite as successful as his first, two deliveries that are short, and wide, outside off stump are dispatched for consecutive fours by Toby Verwey. And two balls later Craig Williams dismissively smashes him out of the ground for a six back over his head. Sixteen runs came from that over, Namibia 525-7.

5.06am: Wicket. Malachi Jones makes the early breakthrough in his first over of the day. A ball after LP van der Westhuizen brings up the 500 for Namibia with an on-drive for four, he tries to slash at a ball outside his off-stump and is caught by Hemp in the slips.

4.58am: The players on the field, and Rodney Trott will bowl the first over of the day. It’s all about time for both sides, Namibia want to reach a lead of 350 as quickly as possible, Bermuda want to delay that happening as long as possible.

4.30am: Bermuda have arrived at the Wanderers Cricket Ground in Windhoek for the third day of their Intercontinental Shield match against Namibia. The tourists have been on the back foot for the last day or so in this game, and are already facing a deficit of 277 runs. Namibia will probably look to bat for an hour this morning, with skipper Craig Williams 30 runs shy of his century.

For Bermuda the task is simple, get the last four Namibia wickets as quickly as possible, and then bat for two days to save the game.

Scores so far: Bermuda 214 (Hemp 52, Outerbridge 46, Verwey 5-47), Namibia 491-6 (Steenkamp 206, Van Schoor 158, Williams 70*).