Namibia had a dream T20 World Cup 2021 where they foxed Ireland & Netherlands in the Qualifiers. In the Super 12 stage, they defeated Scotland which was quite a big achievement. Since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, Namibia has played only 8 T20Is out of which they won 5. The team has shown that they are silent assassins.
Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (c), JJ Smit, Divan la Cock, Stephen Baard, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Jan Frylinck, David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni, Michael van Lingen, Ben Shikongo, Karl Birkenstock, Lohan Louwrens, Helao Ya France.
Strengths
The Eagles have got the luxury of left-arm bowlers present. Having left-arm bowlers can disturb any batter’s rhythm. Ruben Trumpelmann could be lethal in Australian conditions. The presence of the experienced campaigner David Wiese bolsters the team. The all-rounder has played all around the globe and it won’t be wrong to say that he is one of the reasons behind the team’s rise.
Weaknesses
The team undoubtedly can pull off a heist, but they are not used to playing in Australian Conditions. Hitting sixes won’t be an easy task where the batters have to play the waiting game. The skipper Gerhard Erasmus would be tested as he has to be spot on with his captaincy.
Fixtures
16th October: Namibia vs Sri Lanka at Geelong at 09:30 IST
18th October: Namibia vs Netherlands at Geelong at 09:30 IST
20th October: Namibia vs UAE at Geelong at 13:30 IST
Chances
Namibia is going to play all the matches at Geelong where only one T20I match has been played. Namibia is placed in a competitive group of Sri Lanka, UAE & Netherlands. The top two teams would qualify from Group A for the marquee event as there’s no room for any looseners.
Namibia would be looking for revenge as last time in the 2021 Qualifiers, Sri Lanka had defeated them. Namibia’s biggest challenge would be Sri Lanka which now is looking threatening. Namibia will undoubtedly give tough competition to each team but this time it looks unlikely that they will qualify for the main tournament.
Also Read: Rejuvenated Sri Lanka Aim For Glory