Fresh off a memorable performance in last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Fresh off a memorable performance in last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Namibia are looking to build on their momentum and create some more surprises in Australia.
The Eagles qualified for the Super 12 by defeating Scotland in Group 2 in the United Arab Emirates 12 months earlier, after coming through a tough first round group defeating Ireland and the Netherlands.
They renew hostilities with the latter in the first round of this year’s competition with Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, and will be confident of repeating their 2021 performances as they once again test themselves against the world’s leading nations. looking for.
Again led by Gerhard Erasmus, the experienced 16-man squad has a familiar look and Namibia will be expecting more big performances from talisman David Wiese and pacer Ruben Trumpelmann, both of whom played key roles last time around.
2022 prospects
Namibian Cricket chief executive Johann Müller saw the country’s 2021 performance as “a significant impact on the interest, exposure and growth for the sport in Namibia” and has taken steps to ensure it flashes in the pan. Don’t become
A link-up with Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions Lahore Qalandars has seen four Namibian players train with the Qalandars Academy, while a T20 tri-series, which also featured South Africa’s Lions, helped their World Cup preparations. made part of.
Namibia showed they are a force in the shortest international format by beating Zimbabwe 3-2 in a five-match series in May, with the same rivals and Ireland waiting in warm-up matches before the start of competitive action. ,
With a coaching team consisting of both the Morkel brothers, Albie (assistant coach) and Morne (bowling consultant) backing head coach Pierre de Bruyne, Namibia have the global tournament expertise to guide them and they are from the first round. Would love your prospects going forward.
Men’s T20 World Cup History
What made Namibia’s performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 even more impressive was that it was their debut in the tournament.
After participating in the 2003 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, Namibia was absent from a global showpiece event for 18 years before moving to the United Arab Emirates.
The opening seven-wicket loss against Sri Lanka saw them need to win both the remaining matches to qualify for the Super 12 stage and they did just that, Wiese scored an unbeaten 66 before Erasmus scored his half-century to see them face the Netherlands. . For a successful chase against Ireland.
Eagles’ Super 12 highlight came against Scotland, when Trumpelman became the first bowler to register a four-wicket win in the first over of a T20I.
He found life difficult in his other five matches but gained valuable experience against the best of the world, while qualifying for the Super 12 was enough to cement his place in Australia this year.
best batsman
It’s hard to see Wiese as the main man with the bat in Namibia. The 37-year-old averaged 45.40 in last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and has continued to impress in short-format competitions around the world since striking over 182 for Northern Superchargers at The Hundred during the English summer.
Fellow veteran Craig Williams impressed in the series win over Zimbabwe, while skipper Erasmus remains a reliable source of runs, most recently in 50-over matches against USA and Papua New Guinea.
Young Namibian batsmen can also earn a name in this tournament. 21-year-old Jane Nicole Lofty-Eaton has four ODI half-centuries to her name in 14 innings, while 19-year-old Divan La Cock showed her promise by scoring 66 off 43 balls against Zimbabwe earlier this year.
best bowler
Trumpelman grabbed headlines last year with his lucrative performance against Scotland and his performance helped him bag a deal with the Desert Vipers in the upcoming International League T20.
He joins the onslaught of Jan Frylink, who finished last year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as Namibia’s leading wicket-taker with nine scalps and has an impressive T20I economy rate of 6.62.
With paceman Tangeni Lungmeni gearing up for his ICC Men’s T20 World Cup debut at the age of 30, Wiese’s medium pace will again prove to be a useful asset while spin options are provided by Bernard Scholtz and Pique or France.
fixtures
Namibia began their Group A campaign against Sri Lanka on 16 October before taking on the Netherlands two days later, culminating in their first round matches against the United Arab Emirates on 20 October. All three matches are at Kardinia Park in Geelong.
Namibia v Sri Lanka, October 16 – Geelong (3 pm local time)
Namibia v Netherlands, October 18 – Geelong (3 p.m. local time)
Namibia v UAE, October 20 – Geelong (7 pm local time)