Namibia on the verge of victory in its ICC Intercontinental Cup opener

Bjorn Kotze: a captain's innings © Wiets Coetzee

Namibia was sensing victory in its ICC Intercontinental Cup opener against Canada as the visitors were left with their backs against the wall after the third day's play at Wanderers Cricket Club in Windhoek on Saturday.

Canada, reply to Namibia's 480-9 declared, resumed its first innings at 233-4 and was bowled out for 286 with the last four wickets falling for 14 runs. Forced to follow-on, it was reeling at 235-6 to lead the hosts by 41 runs with just four wickets standing.

Namibia's medium pacers used their experience of the conditions as they grabbed 15 out of the 16 Canadian wickets to fall so far.

After Gerrie Snyman finished as the pick of home team bowlers in the first innings with 4-63, Louis Klazinga took the responsibility in the second innings and followed up his 2-27 with 3-29.

Ian van Zyl lent excellent support to the new ball duo of Snyman and Klazinga, and snapped up 3-56 in the first innings. He has miserly figures of 5-4-1-1 in the second innings.

Canada opener Mohammad Iqbal stood tall in both innings as wickets fell around him. Having resumed at 119, he was seventh out in the first innings after scoring 140 that came off 195 balls faced during 260 minutes at the crease. His innings included 22 fours and a six.

In the second innings, he once again held the innings together before being dismissed for 88. This time Iqbal occupied the crease for exactly three hours during which time he faced 145 balls. His innings was studded with 12 fours and a six.

Iqbal put on 125 runs for the second wicket with Trevin Bastiampillai before Klazinga sent both batsmen back to the dressing room in a space of 14 balls to put Namibia in a position from where it could dictate terms.

Bastiampillai scored 63 from 166 balls faced and including 11 boundaries.

While it is Namibia's first game in the competition, Canada, last event's losing finalist to Ireland, is playing its fourth match. It won against United Arab Emirates (UAE) but has suffered defeats against the Netherlands and Kenya.

Canada currently shares third place with Scotland on 26 points. The Netherlands leads the field with 34 points, followed by reigning champion Ireland on 29 points but from one less game than the Dutch.

Kenya, which goes head-to-head against Bermuda at the Nairobi Gymkhana from 1 November, has 20 points from its only match in the eight-team competition.

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception three years ago and now ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event has evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams which do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in both events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider and Canada earlier this year in the 2006/07 event.

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007/08 will take place in November 2008 at a venue yet to be decided.