Erasmus to play in Nepal 

Namibia cricket captain Gerhard Erasmus has been signed by the Kathmandu Ghurkas to play in the inaugural Nepal Premier League T20 series.

Erasmus who has become one of the world’s leading players from Associate member nations, has played 52 One Day International matches for Namibia, scoring close to 2 000 runs at an average of 42,54, while he has also played 65 T20 international matches for Namibia, scoring 1 557 runs at an average of 32,43.

He has also taken 38 wickets in ODIs with a best performance of 5/28, and 53 wickets in T20 internationals with a best performance of 3/7 to become one of the top all rounders in world cricket. 

On the latest ICC all-rounder rankings, Erasmus is ranked fifth in the world on 245 points, behind Mohammed Nabi of Afghanistan on 306, Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe (288), Glenn Maxwell of Australia (253) and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan (250).

Besides that his brilliant fielding and leadership skills have made him a complete player and he last year he was honoured for his performances with both bat and ball when he won the ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year award. 

Erasmus, who has already played abroad for several other franchises, including the Montreal Tigers and the Toronto Nations in the Global T20 Canada league, and the Gulf Giants, in the International League T20 in the UAE, said he was looking forward to the experience. 

“I’m looking forward to playing for the Ghurkas – you learn a lot by playing lots of games and you get a lot of experiences along the way. Playing lots of matches this year and in different leagues has improved my career a lot, and given me lots of confidence on the world stage as well,” he said.

“Nepal is another league that’s popped up at the end of the year in December and it’s a great opportunity and an honour to go and play there. Obviously the incentive is also there to become a professional cricketer and make a career out of it, so earning good money to sustain a career, seeing yourself as a product and as a career option is now definitely viable and a real possibility for Namibian cricketers,” he added. 

The Nepal Premier League will be held from 30 November and 21 December and will be contested by eight teams throughout Nepal. 

The chief executive officer of the Kathmandu Ghurkas, Sandesh Katwal told the Kathmandu Post that Erasmus will considerably strengthen their team. 

“Merwe Gerhard Erasmus is one of the finest players in Associate cricket, and he’s a true leader for his team. His arrival will significantly strengthen Kathmandu Gurkhas in both batting and bowling, and his leadership skills will also be a big boost. We are eagerly looking forward to his arrival,” he said. 

The CEO of Cricket Namibia, Johan Muller said more Namibian players could soon also play in Nepal. 

“The Nepal Premier League requested permission to contact certain players directly, which we did. They need to sign a clearance form because they are contracted to Cricket Namibia, but we definitely support this because it can just be good for Namibian cricket,” he said. 

“They gain valuable experience playing in other countries, of the conditions there as well as of different coaching staff and methods. When they return to Namibia they can then share their knowledge and experience gained with local players and plough back into the development of cricket in the country,” he added.