Cricket Namibia president Richard Frankle believes the three South African experts who began a four-day intensive training camp with the national Under 19 team on Friday will vastly improve the side’s performance ahead of next year’s u19 World Cup.
The experts are University of Pretoria (Tuks) cricket director Pierre de Bryn and bowling coach Chris van Noordwyk as well as Pretoria High Performance Centre biomechanist Helen Bayne.
The camp, which is being held at Wanderers Sport Club in Windhoek, forms part of Namibia’s preparations for the u19 World Cup which takes place in Bangladesh between January and February.
Namibia qualified for the junior cricket showpiece after beating Uganda during the u19 Africa Championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in February.
“This expertise will make a huge difference to our players and their performance. I believe that by the time we board that plane (to Bangladesh), we will be as well prepared as possible,” Frankle told reporters.
“As part of our quest to improve the standard in all our teams, we’ve signed an agreement with the High Performance Centre in Pretoria,” added CN CEO Donovan Zealand.
“This agreement will help us forge more alliances of this nature in the future. We are looking forward to working with the three experts in the coming days.”
De Bryn said they hope to achieve the desired results during the camp.
“If you want to have competitive teams, then it is important to focus on the juniors. That’s why you need to start at the bottom. We are delighted to be here and offer our expertise,” said De Bryn.
WATSON RUN-OUT
Meanwhile the senior team will have an interim coach until next year after CN opted against retaining Doug Watson, who’s three-year contract runs out on 31 August.
According to Frankle, the decision to part ways with Watson, who failed to guide the team to the T20 World Cup following a topsy-turvy T20 World Cup qualifying campaign in Ireland and Scotland last month, was by mutual consent.
“The board of Cricket Namibia has endorsed the appointment of Mr Daynand ‘Dee’ Thakur as interim coach and the board would like to wish him and the rest of the coaching staff well as we re-position ourselves to take on future challenges in the cricket arena,” Frankle said.
Thakur has vast experience and is familiar with the set-up, having previously coached various age groups and the Namibia A team.
While his contract runs until the end of January 2016, CN plans to have concluded the search for a substantive coach by the end of November.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
