NEW DELHI: In less than 24 hours, three Associate teams came close to springing an upset in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Netherlands, the USA, and Nepal had victories in their grasp before they slipped away due to dropped catches and individual brilliance from the leading superstars of the game.
Namibia captain
Gerhard Erasmus says it is high time the tags 'Associate' and "minnows" be removed from parlance attached to smaller cricketing nations.
“Teams should not tag themselves in that way,” he said after Namibia’s first training session in the national capital on Sunday.
“You should not limit yourself with labels. Everyone is human, playing with the same white ball. We have enough proof to back ourselves. We beat Sri Lanka, a proper Sri Lankan team, in the 2022 T20 World Cup that had just won the Asia Cup, in good conditions in Australia. That was not a fluke. Against Ireland and Zimbabwe, we have had a positive record. So I do not believe in that tag,” he adds.
The 30-year-old, who will be leading his country in a fourth straight T20 World Cup, bats for more exposure for countries like Namibia, the Netherlands, the USA, and Nepal.
“Many games are decided by small moments, like a single catch. Skill levels are very close. More exposure through such games will help level the playing field. If teams across the world get that exposure, the global game will become stronger, and that will benefit everyone,” says Erasmus.
Namibia’s estimated population is around three million, and in a few days they will be playing against India in Delhi. After the fight shown by the USA on Saturday evening at the Wankhede Stadium, the Namibians will back themselves to test the defending champions.
“We have nothing to lose when playing against India. You can go out and enjoy it because those teams are the best in the world for a reason. They are world champions for a reason. It is about enjoying the moment and appreciating that you have earned the right to play against them,” he says.
“If you approach it positively, you often get the best results.”
Limited exposure
The representation in a fourth straight T20 World Cup is a testament that cricket in Namibia is on the right path.
Last October, they made history by beating their neighbours South Africa for the first time in any international format.
Yet, Erasmus agrees that limited exposure, tight resources, and infrequent games against top teams remain Namibia’s biggest hurdles in international cricket.
“I think it becomes difficult at a certain level because you don’t get to play the big teams very often. Because of that, the exposure is limited, and every two years when you come back to a World Cup, it feels like a big step up. That is the toughest thing to recreate,” he says.
“We try to play against teams like Zimbabwe and some South African franchise sides in between to maintain that level of cricket. In that sense, it is actually a remarkable story that we can still come and compete against some of the top nations. We have beaten Sri Lanka and the Proteas, as well as Zimbabwe and Ireland. Those are Test nations.
“So I think it is a great story for us, given our limited exposure and resources, to have achieved that. That is mainly down to hard work from the group of players, the backroom staff, and people investing in cricket,” he says.
Cricketing culture in Namibia
Erasmus says that although there is no first-class structure in Namibia and there are only four clubs that play in the top division in men’s cricket, the game is still growing in the country.
“These days, a lot more people follow cricket. In a sense, we have overtaken rugby, which is culturally a big sport in South Africa and Namibia. Soccer is still the most participated sport, so in terms of numbers we are probably not there yet.
“But the brand we have created with Namibia, the fact that people see us on streaming platforms and on TV every two years on the world stage, has created real anticipation around cricket. Getting South Africa to play in winter was a massive thing. Our ground opening, for example, was sold out.
“Indian investors, streaming deals, and all of that create a brand around the game. It creates a cool stadium and good vibes, with music and live entertainment at the grounds. I think the growth over the last five years has been phenomenal,” he says.
But he feels it will require a lot to improve the grassroots structure in Namibia.
“The grassroots structure mainly runs through school cricket, followed by Namibia’s age-group teams: under-13, under-15, and under-19. We have tried to set up an academy and a high-performance setup over the last three or four years. That has also been difficult because it is tough to get inbound tours or go outbound due to financial constraints. Setting up a viable high-performance structure is the next step for us,” he says.
When asked if there is any effort to play more red-ball cricket in Namibia, the captain gave a candid answer. “The ICC structure has changed. In the past, we used to play four-day cricket through the Intercontinental Cup, but that structure was removed around 10 or 12 years ago.”
“There is no incentive for us to play red-ball cricket now because it does not feature in qualification pathways. It also does not make financial sense for us to invest in red-ball cricket,” he adds.
Namibia are placed in Group A alongside India, Pakistan, the Netherlands, and the USA. They will lock horns against the Netherlands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
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