Smit’s record-breaking performance: Namibia thrashes Kenya in the T20 World Cup Qualifier
Namibia got off to a great start in their T20 World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign by crushing Kenya by 136 runs on Friday. The architect of this victory was all-rounder Smit, who came to the crease when his team was in trouble and scored a historic century, equaling the record in just 37 balls.
A brilliant comeback and a historic innings
Batting first, Namibia did not have an ideal start. In the 9th over, they were 68 for 4, and their top order had already returned to the pavilion. However, a brilliant counter-attack by captain Gerhard Erasmus and Smit turned the game around. The two put on a blistering 98-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Erasmus played a crucial innings of 58 runs in 32 balls before being dismissed.
This laid the foundation for Smit’s impressive performance. Coming in at number six, he first reached his half-century in just 20 balls. He then accelerated his runs, reaching his maiden T20I century in just 37 balls. In doing so, he equaled the record for the sixth-fastest century in T20I history, a feat also held by India’s Abhishek Sharma and Australia’s Tim David. Smit played a brilliant unbeaten innings of 111 runs in just 39 balls, hitting 12 fours and 7 sixes, and propelled Namibia to a mammoth total of 241 for 5.
Kenya crumbled under pressure
Faced with a daunting target of 242 runs, the Kenyan team never got going. Namibia’s bowlers were disciplined from the start, and the Kenyan batsmen were unable to maintain a fast run rate. Their innings clearly lacked momentum, as evidenced by their only two sixes in the entire 20 overs.
Sukhdeep Singh faltered alone with 34 runs, but it wasn’t enough. Namibia’s bowlers also performed admirably, with Alexander Bussing-Wolschenk, Bernard Scholtz, and Jan Nicole Lofty-Eaton taking two wickets each. Kenya eventually finished at 105 for 7, giving Namibia a comprehensive and confidence-boosting victory as they began their journey to qualifying.