Corry Ihuhua
3 December 2008
THE Namibia Cricket Board (NCB) has announced a squad of 26 players to prepare for matches against other nations in an attempt to qualify for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, to be held in four different countries.
The team consists of current senior players, while several new faces, especially from the junior squads, have been drafted into the setup.
NCB communications director Hannes du Plessis told The Namibian Sport yesterday that the trials are set for early January and the final squad for the matches should be known by February.
The squad will be trimmed to 15 players before going into the matches.
The selectors have given former national team cricketers Riaan Walters and Stefan Swanepoel another chance to prove themselves on that level, after both have not been involved with the team for a few years.
Namibia is among the qualifiers for the playoffs which also include Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Bermuda, Canada, Kenya, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Denmark.
Other countries that will fight for qualification include Argentina, Uganda, Zambia and Seychelles, who form part of Division C, according to Du Plessis.
Only 16 teams will compete at the World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Namibia made its first appearance at the world showpiece in 2003 when it was hosted by South Africa.
The tournament will be held between February and March 2011.
Du Plessis said the Namibian team still needs to play a few more matches in the South Africa Airways (SAA) Cricket Challenge early next year.
Namibia will take Border and Northerns in away matches, before they host Gauteng and Natal in Windhoek.
The squad for the trials was announced as follows: JB Burger, Raymond van Schoor, ST Ackermann, Stefan Swanepoel, Sarel Burger, Riaan Walters, Louis Burger, Craig Williams, Gerrie Snyman, Bjorn Kotze, Deon Kotze, Tobie Verwey, Nicolaas Scholtz, Bernard Scholtz, Louis Klazinga, Kola Burger, LP van der Westhuizen, Wilbur Slabber, Andrew Louw, Hendrik Marx, Ian van Zyl, Sean Silver, Pikkie Ya France, Ewald Steenkamp, Martin van Nieker, Pieter Rossouw * Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked the 2011 World Cup organising committee to begin preparations for the tournament for which they are already ten months behind schedule.
Saleem Altaf, the Pakistan board's director general, said normally the committee started the work three years before the tournament.
"The ICC reminded us that we are behind schedule on the organisation of the World Cup," Altaf said after attending a two-day meeting of the World Cup organising committee held under the chairmanship of ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat earlier this week.
"The ICC has issued clear-cut directives that the World Cup secretariat should start functioning soon, and Lahore has been chosen as the city for this purpose," Altaf said.
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