Italy bounced back from their big defeat by Scotland yesterday by beating Namibia by 25 runs in Abu Dhabi today to secure ninth place at the World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Batting first after winning the toss, Italy's total of 130-9 was built around two innings over 30 from Damian Crowley (32) and Carl Sandri (34). Running between the wickets was a problem late on for the Italians, with three wickets falling to run outs.

Namibia's reply never really got going, with only Nicolaas Scholtz and Gerhard Erasmus getting any sort of start, scoring 25 and 28 not out respectively. Gareth Berg took a hat-trick in the final over, bowling three Namibian batsmen in consecutive balls.

A disappointing end to a disappointing tournament for Namibia. After finishing third in 2012 and being seeded for this tournament, a tenth place finish is well below their expectations. They will continue to play in the South African domestic competition over the next few months, and will be back in World Cup qualifying action in New Zealand in January.

For Italy, ninth place is a slight improvement over last year, when they finished 10th, but they will be pleased with their performance. Their next international engagement will be a four nation 50 over tournament involving Denmark, Guernsey and Jersey at some point next year, and they are also set to play in WCL Division Four at some point.