Paul Stirling’s half-century and wickets for spinners and Gavin Hoey and George Dockrell help secure win

1st ODI: Ireland 229-9 (50 ovs) (P Stirling 56, C Carmichael 45, H Tector 28, L Tucker 28; JN Loftie-Eaton 4-36, JJ Smit 2-47), Namibia 174 (37.5 ovs) (R Trumpelmann 50, L Steenkamp 26; G Hoey 3-29, G Dockrell 2-22, J Moondra 2-27). Ireland won by 55 runs.

Ireland secured a 55-run victory over Namibia in a low-scoring first One-Day International in Windhoek on Thursday.

Played in temperatures in the mid-30s, Ireland were put into bat in the first of five matches and got off to a fine start as the experienced opening duo of skipper Paul Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie put on 70 for the first wicket.

Balbirnie holed out for 20 but Stirling would go on to make 56, becoming the first batter to pass 13,000 runs for Ireland. The Belfast native has now scored over 3,500 more runs than the second-best Irish batter on the run-scoring list.

Cade Carmichael made 45 at number three, while Harry Tector and Lorcan Ticker both made 28 as Irish batters failed to push on from good starts, with Namibia leg-spinner Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton taking four for 36 as Ireland’s innings fizzled out on 229 for nine from their 50 overs.

Irish leg-spinner Gavin Hoey would also revel in the conditions, taking three for 29, while left-arm spinner George Dockrell took two for 22, with Namibia losing wickets at regular intervals.

Only an enterprising 50 from 43 deliveries from number eight batter Ruben Trumpelmann extended the game, before South African-born Irish opening bowler Liam McCarthy finally ended his resistance and the match by bowling Trumpelmann with the penultimate ball of the 38th over.