It is the knockout before the knockouts, with the winner of the clash between Namibia and Ireland guaranteed to join Sri Lanka in the Super 12s with the loser set to join Netherlands on the way out.

Since 2012, Ireland have not qualified for the main draw of a T20 World Cup. They have been particularly poor in the shortest format.

Their inconsistency belies their status as a Full Member – as a contrast, Afghanistan, who were awarded that status at the same time as Ireland, are automatically in the Super 12s – and failure to progress will likely result in serious introspection.

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In the tournament, Namibia have already made history. Their victory over Netherlands was their first at a World Cup, and all indications are that they will not be satisfied with that.

Namibia reacted to their blow-out against Sri Lanka with embarrassment and came back to chase their highest successful target in the format against Netherlands.

These two teams have scant history against each other, having only played the other once in competitive fixtures before.For extra entertainment, watch out for the battle between David Wiese and Curtis Campher in particular, and the side-eyeing from the bench between Pierre de Bruyn and Graham Ford.

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Opening partnerships on both sides will be crucial, especially as runs have not been plentiful for either of these teams. Ireland have had first-wicket stands of 8 and 27, while Namibia have posted 10 and 34 so far, with both units relying on players in the middle order to push the totals towards and over 100.

Having middle-order muscle is no bad thing, but both teams will want better starts in this crucial fixture.