Vipers expected to strike back

THE Namibian cricketers will go into their third match against Bangladesh with their backs against the wall at Wanderers today, as they lost both their two one-dayers over the weekend.

The match starts at 10h00. The Namibian cricket team, also kn own as the Vipers, narrowly lost their first match by seven runs last Saturday, before going down by 12 runs the following day against the same side, which is a test playing nation.Namibia has not been accepted as a test playing country by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as yet, but played in last year’s World Cup against top class countries such as England, Australia and India.With most of the players currently in top form after the recent tour to Zimbabwe, Namibia stands a chance to surprise the visitors who came here to make a clean sweep.Namibia’s Team Manager Francois Erasmus told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the Namibians have the talent to beat their opponents if they ‘put their minds to it.’”We know that the Bangladesh players are more experienced than our players, but they (Namibians) should have the confidence to see themselves in a winning situation,” he said.Erasmus said although the middle order of the Namibians squad let to their downfall in the first two matches, they need to back themselves from the first ball.”They should learn to take control of the situation from the onset and not wait until the last minute,” said Erasmus, also a former Namibian player.Bangladesh also toured Namibia in January last year, ending the series with a 4-1 win before they headed to the World Cup held in South Africa.Namibia will starts with a three day match from Friday until Sunday after today’s game.Meanwhile, fast bowler Bjorn Kotze has been brought back into the team after he was kept out on Sunday, while Louis Burger will also be in the starting line-up.Rudie van Vuuren and Marius van der Merwe made way for the two.The Namibian cricket team, also kn own as the Vipers, narrowly lost their first match by seven runs last Saturday, before going down by 12 runs the following day against the same side, which is a test playing nation. Namibia has not been accepted as a test playing country by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as yet, but played in last year’s World Cup against top class countries such as England, Australia and India. With most of the players currently in top form after the recent tour to Zimbabwe, Namibia stands a chance to surprise the visitors who came here to make a clean sweep. Namibia’s Team Manager Francois Erasmus told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the Namibians have the talent to beat their opponents if they ‘put their minds to it.’ “We know that the Bangladesh players are more experienced than our players, but they (Namibians) should have the confidence to see themselves in a winning situation,” he said. Erasmus said although the middle order of the Namibians squad let to their downfall in the first two matches, they need to back themselves from the first ball. “They should learn to take control of the situation from the onset and not wait until the last minute,” said Erasmus, also a former Namibian player. Bangladesh also toured Namibia in January last year, ending the series with a 4-1 win before they headed to the World Cup held in South Africa. Namibia will starts with a three day match from Friday until Sunday after today’s game. Meanwhile, fast bowler Bjorn Kotze has been brought back into the team after he was kept out on Sunday, while Louis Burger will also be in the starting line-up. Rudie van Vuuren and Marius van der Merwe made way for the two.