McMullen’s 95 in vain as Scotland fall seven runs short in T20 World Cup warm-up

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Namibia delivered a strong statement ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, securing a thrilling seven-run victory over Scotland in a high-scoring warm-up match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The foundation of Namibia’s win was laid by openers Jan Frylinck and Louren Steenkamp, who produced a blistering 137-run partnership off just 71 balls. Both batters struck fluent half-centuries, combining for 24 boundaries, as Namibia surged to an imposing 226 for 4 after opting to bat first.

Although Frylinck and Steenkamp fell in quick succession, Namibia maintained momentum through valuable late contributions. Captain Gerhard Erasmus anchored the innings with an unbeaten 33, while JJ Smit (22) and Ruben Trumpelmann (25) added crucial runs to push the total beyond 220.

Scotland responded with intent and kept the chase alive throughout. They raced to 66 for 1 in the powerplay, with Michael Jones the only early casualty. Mark Watt added impetus with 33 off 23 balls, before Brandon McMullen took centre stage.

McMullen played a sensational knock, smashing 95 off just 39 deliveries, and alongside skipper Richie Berrington, threatened to overhaul the steep target. A brief cameo from Tom Bruce (20 off 14 balls) further fuelled Scotland’s hopes.

The match went down to the final over, with 12 runs required. However, JJ Smit turned the game decisively in Namibia’s favour, dismissing Berrington with the second ball and conceding only five runs overall to restrict Scotland to 220 for 5.