Eagles primed for Canada series 

The FNB Namibian Eagles start a crucial Cricket World Cup League 2 Tri-series campaign when they take on the hosts Canada in Ontario today.

The Eagles are currently struggling in sixth position on the log and will need to get a few wins in their four-match campaign, which also includes Scotland if they hope to stay in touch with the leaders.

The United States (US) and The Netherlands currently lead the log on 28 points each, followed by Scotland and Oman on 24, and Canada on 20, while Namibia trail six points behind on 14 points, with only Nepal (12) and United Arab Emirates (6) below them.

The Eagles prepared for the series with a warm-up tournament against Canada A and after a shaky start they went on to post some impressive performances.

They beat Canada A by 10 runs in their first match on 18 August when they were skittled out for 87, but then bowled out the hosts for 77.

In Namibia’s innings, only JJ Smit with 38 not out and JP Kotze with 27 reached double figures, but Namibia’s bowlers came to the rescue, with Nicol Loftie-Eaton taking three wickets for 23 runs and Bernard Scholtz 2/11.

According to coach Craig Williams, the pitch was not up to standard, while they also had to abandon another unacceptable pitch.

“We turned up for our first match, but unfortunately the pitch was underprepared and too dangerous, so the game was called off after six overs. Then they prepared another pitch for us, which was, to be honest, also not great. We managed to score 87 and then bowled them out for 77 to win the match,” he said.

Namibia’s performances, however, improved markedly when their next two matches were moved to a well-prepared pitch.

On 21 August they thrashed Canada A by 151 runs as they amassed 262/6 and then skittled Canada A out for 116.

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus led the way with an impressive century, scoring 110 off 124 balls (8×4, 2×6), while Kotze added 44 and Loftie-Eaton 42.

In reply, Canada A crashed to 116 all out after a brilliant spell of bowling by spinner Scholtz, who took six wickets for only four runs off six overs of which three were maidens.

The next day, the Eagles once again posted a commanding 133-run victory, scoring 242/8 and then dismissing Canada A for 109.

Kotze led their batting onslaught with 102 off 120 balls (6×4,1×6), while Dylan Leicher scored 39 and Erasmus 25 not out off only seven balls which included three sixes and one four.

Namibia’s bowlers then maintained the pressure to set up a comprehsive win, witth Ruben Trumpelmann taking 4/21.

Kotze was the top batter of the series, scoring 173 runs at an average of 57,67, while Erasmus was third with 136 runs at an average of 68,00.

Sukhjinder Singh of Canada A was the most successful bowler with 14 wickets at an average of 9,64, while Scholtz was second with eight wickets at an incredible average of 1,88, and Loftie-Eaton fourth with seven wickets at an average of 5,14.

SCHOLTZ AMONG WORLD’S TOP BOWLERS

The mercurial Scholtz once again demonstrated that he is one of the best spin bowlers in the world.

He is rated fourth in the world in one day international (ODI) cricket, according to the latest rankings that were released last week.

Keshav Maharaj of South Africa is the top-ranked ODI bowler with 687 points, followed by Maheesh Theekshana of Sri Lanka (671) and Kuldeep Yadav of India (650), while Scholtz is fourth on 644. He is also the only associate nation bowler in the top 20.

So far this year, his performances have been extraordinary as he is currently the second-highest ODI wicket taker in the world, with 22 ODI wickets at an average of 10.04, with only Matt Henry of New Zealand having taken more wickets with 24 scalps.

Erasmus has also maintained his high standards with both bat and ball and is currently ranked ninth in the world among ODI all-rounders.

Stalwarts like Kotze, Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann and Smit underlined their value to the team, while the young all-rounder Leicher has stepped up with some fine performances in recent outings.

Canada first team, however, will be an entirely different proposition, but coach Williams says they are well prepared and ready to go.

“The preparations have gone well and we are very happy that we were able to come 10 days early to get used to the conditions here. The weather has been quite tricky. It changes the whole time, and I think it’s good that the boys have been able to acclimatise,” he says.

“We’ve also done a lot of research on the conditions we’re going to play in at King City. We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the ground where we’re going to play the four ODIs, so we’re feeling really well prepared,” Williams says.

He says the selection process will be tough.

“The boys are all in a good space. We’ve got no injuries, so we’ve got a full squad that is ready to go. Our selection will be tough as always, because everybody’s in such a good space and everybody’s prepared really well.

“We’ve got high hopes to win our first game, and the boys must just go out there and do their best for Namibia,” he says.

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