Vipers to face fast bowlers

THE MTC Namibia senior cricket team are due to face fast and furious bowling from the visiting Eastern Cape Warriors, who arrived in the country on Sunday for matches this week.

The two sides will go head to head in a three-day game which starts at Wanderers Cricket Grounds this morning, with the last match anticipated for Sunday. The Namibian batting order will be put to the test by former Proteas fast bowler Monde Zondeki, while Tyron Henderson is also expected to produce some firing works in their quest to triumph over Namibia, also known as the Vipers.The two sides will square-up for a three day game at Wanderers, while a one day game will be played at United Sports Fields on Friday, followed by another one day match at Wanderers on Sunday.Namibian coach, Andrew Waller, told The Namibian Sport yesterday that he has confidence in his players and believed that they will beat the South Africans.”Although the opposition has very good players, I believe that they can be beaten at any time,” he said.Waller (45), who is now Namibia’s permanent cricket coach, hails from Zimbabwe and has been in charge of the senior team as well as the under 19s and 17s sides since he arrived about two and a half months ago.He said the players lacked mental preparedness, but he is now certain that they have reached a stage where they believe in themselves and are mentally ready.”It takes a lot of talking to them to stay focused and concentrate on the task at hand.That is the big part of the game,” he said.He said although the side has not faced a lot of quick balls in their past few matches, he reckons that they have worked hard enough on the batting front to contain the pressure expected from the opposition.”We have worked very hard on our batting as opposed to the past when players threw away their wicket after 30 runs or so.The players proved their maturity and confidence in front of the wicket during the tour to Zambia and I hope we can continue with the same trend this time around,” he said.Waller, former right hand batsman for the Zimbabwe national cricket side, started his cricketing career in 1987, making his One Day International (ODI) debut against New Zealand in the same year.He has played 20 World Cup matches between that period, scoring 479 runs.Waller said Namibian players were talented and just need to believe in themselves on the world stage.”This country has a lot of talented players and they can develop into good cricketers if they just improve their mental preparedness in games, while they should also trust themselves when playing on a big stage.All of them have the potential to perform at the highest level,” he said.Namibian captain Deon Kotze was equally positive about the outcome of the matches this week, saying that he would like the players to continue on the winning form they showed in Zambia.”We should strive for the same attitude we had in Zambia and most importantly, we should not throw away wickets,” he said.Kotze, who has been captain of the side for more than two years now, also took the side to the World Cup held in South Africa last year.He said the new coach has been excellent in his work, while he has a positive and calming influence on the team, which Kotze believes helps players to produce.”He is a very positive coach and always encourages the players.For him being here as a permanent coach, also helps the players a lot as they can go to him anytime if they need help, said Kotze.Namibia will be without top batsmen Morne Karg and Hugo Ludik for the three day game, but the two will join the side for the one-dayer.Karg will not be available due to work, while Ludik is in South Africa for studies.Other absentees include fast bowler Bjorn Kotze, spinner Rudi van Vuuren and medium fast bowler Burton van Rooi.Van Vuuren has a hip injury, while Van Rooi has a knee problem.Kotze is abroad.The men who are supposed to steady the Namibian batting are Danie Mr Reliable’ Keulder, JB Burger, who had a brilliant performance in Zambia and captain Kotze.The Namibian batting order will be put to the test by former Proteas fast bowler Monde Zondeki, while Tyron Henderson is also expected to produce some firing works in their quest to triumph over Namibia, also known as the Vipers.The two sides will square-up for a three day game at Wanderers, while a one day game will be played at United Sports Fields on Friday, followed by another one day match at Wanderers on Sunday.Namibian coach, Andrew Waller, told The Namibian Sport yesterday that he has confidence in his players and believed that they will beat the South Africans.”Although the opposition has very good players, I believe that they can be beaten at any time,” he said.Waller (45), who is now Namibia’s permanent cricket coach, hails from Zimbabwe and has been in charge of the senior team as well as the under 19s and 17s sides since he arrived about two and a half months ago.He said the players lacked mental preparedness, but he is now certain that they have reached a stage where they believe in themselves and are mentally ready.”It takes a lot of talking to them to stay focused and concentrate on the task at hand.That is the big part of the game,” he said.He said although the side has not faced a lot of quick balls in their past few matches, he reckons that they have worked hard enough on the batting front to contain the pressure expected from the opposition.”We have worked very hard on our batting as opposed to the past when players threw away their wicket after 30 runs or so.The players proved their maturity and confidence in front of the wicket during the tour to Zambia and I hope we can continue with the same trend this time around,” he said.Waller, former right hand batsman for the Zimbabwe national cricket side, started his cricketing career in 1987, making his One Day International (ODI) debut against New Zealand in the same year.He has played 20 World Cup matches between that period, scoring 479 runs.Waller said Namibian players were talented and just need to believe in themselves on the world stage.”This country has a lot of talented players and they can develop into good cricketers if they just improve their mental preparedness in games, while they should also trust themselves when playing on a big stage.All of them have the potential to perform at the highest level,” he said.Namibian captain Deon Kotze was equally positive about the outcome of the matches this week, saying that he would like the players to continue on the winning form they showed in Zambia.”We should strive for the same attitude we had in Zambia and most importantly, we should not throw away wickets,” he said.Kotze, who has been captain of the side for more than two years now, also took the side to the World Cup held in South Africa last year.He said the new coach has been excellent in his work, while he has a positive and calming influence on the team, which Kotze believes helps players to produce.”He is a very positive coach and always encourages the players.For him being here as a permanent coach, also helps the players a lot as they can go to him anytime if they need help, said Kotze.Namibia will be without top batsmen Morne Karg and Hugo Ludik for the three day game, but the two will join the side for the one-dayer.Karg will not be available due to work, while Ludik is in South Africa for studies.Other absentees include fast bowler Bjorn Kotze, spinner Rudi van Vuuren and medium fast bowler Burton van Rooi.Van Vuuren has a hip injury, while Van Rooi has a knee problem.Kotze is abroad.The men who are supposed to steady the Namibian batting are Danie Mr Reliable’ Keulder, JB Burger, who had a brilliant performance in Zambia and captain Kotze.