Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
NAMIBIA men’s cricket team arrived in Bulawayo yesterday high in confidence to upset the hosts in a three-match T20I series that begins at Queens Sports Club on Monday.
The Eagles travelled with a 15-man squad led by coach Craig Williams.
The series will be a final dress rehearsal for the two sides before plunging into the crucial ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Regional Final 2025 to be held in Zimbabwe later this month.
Ahead of the tour, the Namibians drew confidence from the fact that they have improved their record against Zimbabwe significantly in recent years, having won two T20 series’ 3-2 in 2022 and 2023, while they also won a crucial T20 World Cup qualifier in Windhoek in November 2023, which ultimately put Zimbabwe out of contention for a place at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“We have a good track record against them but we cannot use that as a yardstick. They have played a lot of cricket lately against top sides, but we are also well prepared and in a good space, so we are looking forward to it,” he Williams told the Namibian media.
Since then, however, Zimbabwe have recovered well and are currently ranked 12th in the world in T20 cricket compared to Namibia’s 16th place.
Namibia have just returned from Canada where they played against the hosts and Scotland in the Cricket World Cup League 2 ODI series.
Cricket Namibia’s 15-man squad to Zimbabwe shows a few changes from the one that recently competed in Canada. Williams said all the players had been considered, but not all of them were available due to work commitments.
Openers JP Kotze and WP Myburgh have been omitted along with pace bowler Tangeni Lungameni, while Namibia Under-19 captain Alex Volschenk is part of the travelling squad along with Louren Steenkamp, a provincial player in South Africa who is set to make his debut for Namibia.
The T20I series is definitely going to test Zimbabwe’s preparedness for the upcoming Qualifier, considering the Chevrons have been punching below their weight against the big teams. The T20 World Cup Regional Final will begin from September 26 to October 4.
A total of eight teams will battle it out in the regional event, with the top two finishers earning a place at next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe will use the same 15-player group that recently lost the three-game T20I series to Sri Lanka 2-1 and head coach Justin Sammons said it was vital for his side to continue to build momentum ahead of the Africa qualifier event.
“It’s important that we build on the positives from the Sri Lanka series, and facing Namibia will give us exactly the kind of contest we need before the qualifier,” Sammons said.
“They are a quality team who have consistently performed well in this format, so these matches will demand our very best.
“For us, it’s about refining our plans, getting combinations right and making sure we go into the qualifier confident and battle-hardened.”
The three matches against Namibia will be held on September 15, 16 and 18.
Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Brad Evans, Trevor Gwandu, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams.
