Ireland started their ODI tour of Namibia in 2026 with an impressive 55-run victory in Windhoek. After scoring 229/9 in their 50 overs, Ireland bowled out Namibia for 174 runs. Paul Stirling's half-century and Gavin Hoey's three wickets played important roles in Ireland's win. With this victory, Ireland took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. Namibia won the toss and decided to bowl first. Ireland made a steady start, scoring 56 runs without losing a wicket in the first 10 overs. Openers Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie built a 70-run partnership. Balbirnie scored 20 runs before Bernard Scholtz dismissed him in the 13th over.
Chasing a target of 230 runs, Namibia began positively. Openers Michael van Lingen and Louren Steenkamp added 48 runs for the first wicket. Van Lingen scored 23 runs off 22 balls before Jai Moondra dismissed him. Steenkamp made 26 runs but was removed by Gavin Hoey. Hoey struck again soon after, dismissing Jan Frylinck for nine runs. Namibia were reduced to 68/3 in the 13th over, putting Ireland in a strong position. Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus tried to fight back with an attacking approach, but George Dockrell dismissed him for 22 runs. Dockrell then removed JJ Smit, leaving Namibia struggling at 110/7 in the 25th over.
Ruben Trumpelmann provided some resistance when Namibia were close to defeat. He attacked the Irish bowlers and hit several sixes to keep his team's hopes alive. Trumpelmann reached his half-century in just 42 balls, showing great determination despite the pressure. He also hit two consecutive boundaries off Liam McCarthy. Gavin Hoey was one of Ireland's biggest match-winners with the ball, taking three wickets and helping his team break Namibia's batting line-up.
Jai Moondra and George Dockrell also made important contributions, taking two wickets each. Their regular breakthroughs prevented Namibia from building strong partnerships. Although Trumpelmann played an attacking innings, Namibia could not recover from losing wickets at regular intervals Ireland's all-round performance helped them secure a convincing victory in the opening ODI. Stirling provided stability with the bat, while Hoey, Moondra and Dockrell led the bowling attack. Ireland will now look to build on this winning start, while Namibia will aim to improve their batting performance and level the series in the next match.