T20 CRICKET: WORLD CUP Australia thrash Namibia as Adam Zampa stars with ball and Travis Head with bat

Australia have qualified for the final eight at the Twenty20 World Cup by posting a comprehensive nine-wicket defeat of Namibia in Antigua.

After his side won the toss, Adam Zampa (4-12) was again the star attraction as Australia skittled Namibia for only 72 runs - the lowest total any side has ever posted in a T20I against Australia.

From there, Travis Head (34no) top-scored with the bat to ensure Australia (1-74) would reach Namibia’s total in the sixth over, Mitch Marsh (18no) hitting the winning runs for four past deep extra cover.

Australia will now finish in the top two of Group B, meaning they will play in the tournament’s Super 8 stage regardless of the result of Sunday’s final group-stage match against Scotland.

Finish top-two in their Super 8 group and the 2021 champions will progress to the knockout semi-finals.

Before Wednesday, the lowest total a team had posted against Australia in a T20I was 73, managed by Bangladesh at the 2021 edition of the tournament - won by Australia.

But after losing the toss and being made to bat in Antigua, Namibia fell to 3-17 at the end of the powerplay and were in damage control thereafter.

Legspinner Zampa (4-12) was again the star of the show and became the first Australian man to reach 100 T20I scalps when he bowled Bernard Scholtz for a second-ball duck with the last delivery of his spell.

But it was ever-precise paceman Josh Hazlewood (2-18) who set carnage in motion during the powerplay as Namibia lost 3-1 in the space of 10 balls.

Openers Niko Davin (two from seven balls) and Michael van Langin (10 off 10) both swatted Hazlewood to Glenn Maxwell at backward point, with Jan Frylinck (one) joining them in the dugout as Pat Cummins (1-16) began his spell with a wicket maiden.

Things could have ended up a lot worse for Namibia if not for captain Gerhard Erasmus (36 from 43 deliveries), the only batter to make a start and one of only two to reach double figures.

Called into the XI as Mitch Starc nurses a sore calf, fellow quick Nathan Ellis (1-12) was the beneficiary of a successful lbw review that sent vice-captain JJ Smit (three) packing and pushed Namibia to 4-18.

But the night again belonged to Zampa after his player-of-the-match performance in the last-start defeat of England.

After Ruben Trumpelmann (seven) pulled Zampa for one of only two Namibian sixes, Maxwell caught the quick trying to play the same shot, before bowling Scholtz two deliveries later.

It came after the 32-year-old trapped wicketkeeper Zane Green (one) lbw and enticed David Wiese (one) into finding Hazlewood in the deep.

Erasmus provided late resistance after facing 16 dot balls to begin his innings.

But when he skied Marcus Stoinis (2-9) to Maxwell, Namibia were all but finished at 9-72 and the Australian allrounder had a fourth catch - the equal-most by one player in a World Cup innings.

With a win, Australia will book their spot in the Super 8 stage regardless of the outcome of their final group-stage match against Scotland.