David Wiese bludgeoned 66* off 40 balls as Namibia beat the Netherlands by six wickets at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.

In a sweltering Abu Dhabi, where temperatures soared to 36°C, the former Proteas all-rounder hit five sixes and four boundaries as Namibia chased down their target of 165 with six balls to spare.

It was Namibia’s first-ever win at the World Cup and kept alive their hopes of making the Super 12 stage.

In their opening game on Monday, they had crashed to 96 all out and lost by seven wickets to 2014 champions Sri Lanka.

Defeat almost certainly means the Dutch, who lost their opener to Ireland, also by seven wickets, will be eliminated. Even a win over Sri Lanka in their concluding Group A game on Friday may not be enough.

Wiese, the 36-year-old who played for South Africa in the 2016 T20 World Cup, set Namibia on their way with a half-century off 29 balls.

“It’s awesome,” he said after winning the man-of-the-match award. “It means a lot to me to be in a World Cup. To be on the international stage is special and to put in a big performance for Namibia, I’m glad to get this opportunity to play international cricket.”

Wiese was well supported by captain Gerhard Erasmus, who contributed 32 off 22 balls with the pair putting on 93 for the fourth wicket.

In a desperate attempt to stem the barrage, Dutch skipper Pieter Seelaar employed seven bowlers.

Earlier, opener Max O’Dowd made a second successive half-century to lead the Netherlands to 164-4 after being put in to bat.

The New Zealand-born O’Dowd batted for virtually the entire innings, making 70 off 56 balls with one six and six fours.

He was eventually run out off the third ball of the final over after a knock which followed on from his 51 in his side’s opening loss to Ireland.

Colin Ackermann also played a solid role with the bat as the South African hit 35 off 32 balls.

Scott Edwards added a quick-fire, unbeaten 21 from 11 balls to give the Dutch innings added extra impetus.

© Agence France-Presse