The Tri-Nations Cricket Series got off to a stuttering start at Wanderers yesterday when the match between Canada and the Netherlands was abandoned due to rain.
After both teams had lined up and sung their national anthems, the rains came and after a steady downpour throughout the morning, the match was called off at about lunchtime.
Both teams received a point for the tie, which sees Canada remaining third on the log on 17 points and the Netherlands fourth on 15, with USA leading on 22 and Oman second on 18.
Namibia, meanwhile, open their account against the Dutch on Friday and will have to pick up some points after a mediocre campaign so far that has left them on 12 points in sixth position on the log.
On their recent tour of Oman they only managed one win out of four matches, but coach Pierre de Bruyn remained upbeat, saying he was confident that they will do well.
“Firstly, it’s a huge series for us, we need to pick up some points, that’s the bottom line. We’re playing at home so we need to try and use that advantage,” he said.
“The players have been working very hard over the past few months, and I believe that things will start turning around for this group. I can see the guys developing quickly, so I’m really excited, but the bottom line that every game is a crucial game for us,” he added.
Opening batter Niko Davin is back in the squad after missing the Oman tour due to work commitments and De Bruyn said he would strengthen their options.
“It’s good to have Niko in the mix from a batting perspective and it definitely strengthens our batting options, so it’s great to have him on board for this home series,” he said.
Davin’s availability is a definite advantage especially after the untimely retirement of top-order batter Michael van Lingen due to work commitments last year. The 27-year-old Van Lingen was Namibia’s star batter in the World Cricket League 2 series and at the age of 27 he still had a lot to offer. De Bruyn acknowledged that his retirement was a big blow.
“We all know what a quality player Michael van Lingen is, he showed that over the past couple of years, and he’s one of a select few batters to have scored five ODI centuries in Associate cricket, so losing him is obviously a big blow.”
“But I also believe that it gives an opportunity to guys like JP Kotze, Jan Frylinck and Niko Davin to step into those shoes and take that accountability, to say, I want to be that guy now,” he added.
The top four teams in the Cricket World Cup League 2 series will progress to the final qualifying tournament for the 2027 Cricket World Cup which Namibia will jointly stage with South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The series, however, still has a long way to go and De Bruyn said he was confident that Namibia will finish amongst the top four.
“I definitely believe that. I believe that we are now on an upward curve, the players are getting more exposure and gaining more experience.
“I honestly believe that these players will be much better by next year when we have another 12 ODI matches in the last year of the current cycle, so I’m 100 percent confident,” he said.
“The guys are developing quickly so I’m really excited. We just need to find that extra 15% to finish games off but I’m very positive for the next two years,” he said.
De Bruyn has brought several young players like Dylan Leicher, Jan Izak de Villiers and Junior Kariata into the squad over the past year and he said he was excited by their development.
“This is that’s what excites me – the full squad of options that we now have. There’s a lot of competition for the all-rounder positions with players like Dylan Leicher, Shaun Fouche, Jan Izak de Villiers and a guy like Ruben Trumpelmann, so the competition is fierce and that’s what we want.
“If I look at how young players like Junior Kariata are developing, one can just see the growth and development so that’s exciting,” he said.
