The Namibian Eagles recently landed in India to take on the state side Karnataka in a five-match 50-over series in preparation for a trinations series in Windhoek next month.
The bulk of the 21-man squad includes the players who recently competed in the Cricket World Cup League Two series in Oman, although several younger fringe players have been added.
Notable exclusions are Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus and star spinner Bernard Scholtz who are both being rested after busy schedules over the past month, according to Cricket Namibia CEO Johan Muller.
“Gerhard has been playing cricket non-stop over the past month, he was also playing T20 franchise cricket for the Gulf Giants in the UAE, so he needs a rest, while Bernard Scholtz also gets a break,” he said.
“But the idea of the tour is to give more fringe players opportunities, so that we can be well prepared for next month’s series against Canada and the Netherlands,” he added.
The squad includes experienced stalwarts like JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Jan Frylinck, Nicol Loftie-Eaton and Zane Green, while some of the newcomers include Zacheo van Vuuren, Handre Klazinga, Tangeni Lungameni, Junior Kariata, Addo Itta and Simon Shikongo.
Namibia’s campaign in the Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament is not going too well, after they could only win one match out of four on their recent tour to Oman.
Namibia beat Oman by 23 runs in their first encounter on 10 February, but they lost their return match and also lost twice to the United States to remain at sixth position on the log.
The USA, meanwhile, had a great tour, winning three of their four matches to surge to the top of the log on 22 points, with Oman second on 18 and Canada third on 16 points.
They are followed by the Netherlands and Scotland on 14 points each, and Namibia on 12, while Nepal (6) and UAE (4) make up the rear.
The top four sides will progress to the final qualifying tournament for the 2027 World Cup that Namibia will co-host with South Africa and Zimbabwe, but Namibia will have to turn around their fortunes if they hope to join their own party.
Next month they host Canada and the Netherlands in the Cricket World Cup League 2 series, while they will also compete against Canada in a T20 series.
Canada has been the surprise team in the League Two series so far while the Netherlands has a rich world cup history so they will certainly provide tough opposition.
On the Oman tour Namibia’s bowlers, led by a magnificent Scholtz and Erasmus, did their job admirably, but the batters on the whole failed to deliver, although Oman’s doctored pitches in favour of their spinners also contributed to the low-scoring results.
Players like Malan Kruger and JC Balt showed promise on the Oman tour, but others like Gerhard Janse van Rensburg, Shaun Fouche, Handre Klazinga and Zacheo van Vuuren now also havean opportunity to stake their claim.
No one really grabbed the opportunity though when Namibia slumped to a 160-run defeat to Karnataka in their opening match on Tuesay.
The home team amassed 275/6 off their 50 overs, with Dheeraj Gowda (56 runs), Rajvir Wadhwa (44), and Vishal Onat (45) the top batters, while Jan Izak de Villiers (2/69 off 10 overs) and Dylan Leicher (2/56) were the top bowlers.
Ben Shikongo and PD Blignaut picked up a wicket each, while Tangeni Lungameni conceded 49 runs off his 10 overs.
In reply, Zacheo van Vuuren (25) and Gerhard Janse van Rensburg (14) shared a promising opening stand, but Karnataka soon took charge with regular wickets.
The only other batters who managed to reach double figures were Leicher (15), De Villiers (12) and PD Blignaut (21), as Namibia were bundled out for 115.
Gowda completed a man of the match performance with 4/20, while Wadhwa (2/28), Shikhar Shetty (2/14) and Mohsin Khan (2/21) also got amongst the wickets.
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!
