Namibia’s national u19 men’s cricket team received a rousing send-off to the u19 Cricket World Cup in South Africa at a farewell function on Wednesday evening.
Cricket Namibia president Rudie van Vuuren gave an inspiring speech, reminiscing about his playing days when he represented Namibia at the 2003 Cricket World Cup, as well as the great strides that Namibian cricket has made over the past few years.
He, however, added that the senior men’s team’s failure to qualify for the Super Sixes at the 2022 T20 World Cup had been a huge blow to the team and its support staff and he vowed that it would never happen again.
“When I walked into the dressing room after our defeat to the UAE, when we failed to qualify for the Super Sixes, the tears were flowing, and I vowed that that would never happen again,” he said.
After setting some new targets Crickt Namibia appointed Oscar Nauhaus as the national u19 coach and under his guidance they went from strength to strength, remaining unbeaten to win the Africa Division II tournament in Tanzania in July to qualify for the u19 World Cup.
Van Vuuren lauded the great progress that the team has made and expressed confidence that they will cause some upsets at the world cup and qualify for the Super Sixes.
There were also motivational speeches by former Namibian player and current cricket commentator Trevor Britten, as well as former u19 national captains and senior national players Stephen Baard and Lohan Louwrens, who spoke about their experiences at the u19 World Cup.
The team’s main sponsor, Walvis Bay Salt, also received special praise, with the u19 team captain Alexander Volschenk handing over a national shirt to its managing director, Andre Snyman.
The team left for South Africa on Thursday in preparation for the u19 World Cup which takes place from 19 January to 11 February.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
