Namibiaâ??s national Under 19 cricket team is hard at work in preparation for the Cricket Junior World Cup tournament which starts in Malaysia next month.
According to team manager Kallie Engelbrecht, the players are in top shape and should be at their peak when the tournament gets underway.
â??In December the team underwent a week-long training camp in Windhoek after which they went home for the holiday break. They however continued to follow individual training programmes that our biokineticist worked out for them, and this week they are once again in Windhoek for a training camp,â? he said.
The players will rejoin their schools and universities next week and return to Windhoek at the start of February for another training camp before they fly to Malaysia on February 9.
Namibia qualified for the World Cup finals when they beat Kenya in the final of the African qualifying tournament in Benoni, South Africa in August 2007.
Experienced team
The team has a lot of experience with five players having represented Namibia at the previous Junior World Cup in Sri Lanka in 2006, while five players have already represented Namibiaâ??s senior team.
The captain and opening batsman Dawid Botha, all rounders Keady Strauss and LP van der Westhuizen, wicket keeper Ewald Steenkamp and seam bowler Morne Engelbrecht were all members of the Namibian team at the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Botha is the most experienced player in the team and recently starred for Namibiaâ??s senior team at the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 competition in Windhoek in December where he scored 138 runs at an average of 31,60.
Namibiaâ??s up and coming opening batsmen Raymond van Schoor and Sean Silver have also played for the senior team, as have Steenkamp and Van der Westhuizen.
A lot is expected from Van Schoor and Silver, who are both still only 17 years old. Van Schoor showed remarkable maturity when thrust into the senior team for the ICC competition, where he scored 46 runs against Argentina.
Silver was the star player at the World Cup qualifiers in Benoni, where he won the Player of the Tournament award after some brilliant batting performances.
He scored three centuries in the tournament, against Zambia, Ghana and Uganda and scored a total 398 runs at a fantastic average of 102,66.
Silver underlined his great potential when he scored 43 runs on his debut for Namibiaâ??s senior side against North West in October 2007.
The other experienced players in the team are seam bowler Morne Engelbrecht and all rounder Ashley van Rooi who have represented Namibia A.
Although the team has a strong batting line-up it might struggle in the bowling department where Morne Engelbrecht is the only recognised fast bowler.
Hendrik Marx was Namibiaâ??s leading fast bowler last year, but he missed the qualifiers after opting to play rugby instead and has consequently not been selected for Malaysia. Marxâ?? brother, Floris, who is another top fast bowling prospect, is struggling with a shoulder injury and also misses the finals.
Tough group
Namibia have been drawn in a tough group along with Australia, Sri Lanka and Nepal and realistically, their main aim would be to beat Nepal. The top two teams in each group will qualify for the Cup competition, while the bottom two teams will compete in the Plate division.
â??We would need a lot of luck to beat Australia or Sri Lanka, but we hope to beat Nepal. I am aiming for a place in the Plate final,â? Engelbrecht said.
The team is coached by former South African A batsman Louis Vorster, while former South African coach Eric Simons will assist the team as a consultant in their warm up matches against Ireland and Bermuda.
â??Vorster is a good coach and gets on well with the players, while Simons is definitely the best consultant we have had,â? Engelbrecht said.
With a bit of luck Namibia should improve on their 15th overall position that they achieved in 2006.
The Namibian team is as follows:
Dawid Botha (captain), Keady Strauss, LP van der Westhuizen, Ewald Steenkamp, Morne Engelbrecht, Claude Bouwer, Pikkie ya France, Raymond van Schoor, Tiaan Louw, Gert Jan Coetzee, Elandre Oosthuizen, Martin van Niekerk, Sean Silver and Bernard Scholtz.
Orton Bosman is the non-travelling reserve.