Windhoek, May 30 (IANS) Cricket Namibia announced a 14-man squad, set to represent the country in the Under-19 Men’s regional World Cup qualifiers in July.
The Namibian team will be competing against Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda, and the host nation, Tanzania, reports Xinhua.
According to Cricket Namibia, the country’s governing body for cricket, the squad was selected following an intense period of training, monitoring, and tracking by the selectors.
“The squad brings a wealth of experience, with some members having participated in previous U19 World Cup qualifiers. The team possesses a variety of skill sets that will afford us the adaptability and flexibility we need,” stated Cricket Namibia’s newly appointed U19 coach, Oscar Nauhaus.
Meanwhile, Cricket Namibia Chief Executive, Johan Muller, noted that the selection process began in August 2022. It involved numerous tournaments, tours, trial weekends, and camps.
“Part of Cricket Namibia’s vision is to be globally competitive. This has been demonstrated by our national men’s and women’s teams in recent months. Now, our attention has also shifted to our U19 men’s and women’s teams. They will receive our full support during the qualifier. We believe we have the right talent to deliver a strong performance during the event and subsequently measure ourselves against the best in the world at a World Cup,” he said.
Sixteen teams will compete at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2024. The six teams participating in the Africa Regional Qualifiers are vying for a spot in the World Cup, alongside the 11 full member teams that have automatically qualified for the event. The qualifiers are scheduled to run from July 21 to 31 in Tanzania.
The following are the members of the Namibian squad for the regional qualifier: Alexander Volschenk (captain); Gerhard Janse van Rensburg (vice-captain); Adriaan Louw; Faf Du Plessis; Franko Bergh; Hanro Badenhorst; Hansie De Villiers; Jack Brassel; Junior Kariata; JW Visagie; Peter Daniel Blignaut; Ryan Moffet; Woutie Niehaus; Zacheo Jansen van Vuuren.
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