In a ground-breaking development, both Namibia and South Africa are gearing up to face each other for the first time in international cricket. Namibia will be hosting South Africa for a one-off T20I series in their newly-renovated Wanderers stadium in Windhoek on October 11. Despite being geographically close to each other, both nations have never met each other in any bilateral or tournament-level fixture. 

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Historic moment for Cricket Namibia and its supporters

The one-off T20I will mark the beginning of a new chapter for cricket in southern Africa. This development is bound to redefine the cricketing ties between Cricket Namibia and Cricket South Africa. Cricket Namibia will be the obvious beneficiary as they look to draw inspiration from this association and try to bolster their cricketing standards around the country. 

The attention now shifts to Cricket Namibia's first official stadium, which has recently been renovated to comply with international standards. This newly renovated stadium (previously known as Wanderers) will play host to the upcoming historic T20I fixture between Namibia and South Africa. In addition, the ground will also stage matches from the 2026 Under-19 Men's World Cup and the 2027 Men's ODI World Cup.

It is worth noting that Namibia is a co-host of the Under-19 World Cup alongside Zimbabwe, as well as the ODI World Cup in collaboration with Zimbabwe and South Africa. The ground previously served as Namibia's high-performance centre, but the ongoing construction from 2021 has upgraded its capacity to hold 7000 spectators. 

Joy for all the stakeholders involved

Johann Muller, Cricket Namibia CEO, expresses his delight whilst announcing the launch of his new facility. Muller stresses that it had been a desire for the local Namibian population to see this dream turn into a reality. What further adds to his excitement is being able to host a world-class cricket team like South Africa in their newly revamped facility. 

"This truly is a memorable occasion. The new ground has been a dream for the last four years and has finally materialised. A match against our neighbours, and one of the top cricketing countries in the world, is the perfect way to open this world-class facility."

Quite understandably, his sentiments were echoed by his South African counterpart, Pholesti Moseki, who happens to be the CEO of Cricket South Africa. Moseki is thrilled to be a part of this historic experience. He further adds that Namibia are a seasoned side and hopes to see them perform well. 

"We are honoured to be part of this historic occasion. Namibia are a competitive side, and this fixture reflects the growing strength of cricket on the continent. As a fellow African cricketing nation and the host of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2027, we are proud to support the official opening of this new cricket ground, which will be one of the host venues of the tournament."

The upcoming ODI World Cup 2027 will jointly be hosted by South Africa and Namibia. The strong cooperation between the two African cricketing boards is clearly evident, and with a new facility in place, Namibia's growing influence in world cricket is only going to surge in the years to come. 

Cricket Namibia has made a historic move by awarding professional contracts to ten women’s cricketers, marking the first time in the country’s sports history that both men’s and women’s national teams have received contracts. The announcement, made on Tuesday, follows negotiations and signings that took place back in February.

The details of the contracts, including their value, remain undisclosed to the public. However, the significance lies in Cricket Namibia’s commitment to promoting gender equality in sports and supporting the development of women’s cricket.

Cricket Namibia chief executive Johan Muller says…

“For the first time, we have been able to professionalise the women’s game. This is a significant moment for sports in the country. It’s the first time ladies have been signed on contracts where cricket is their occupation.”

Johan Muller added, “Ten ladies now have the opportunity to support their households by pursuing their passion. We want to thank Capricorn Group [the sponsors of the women’s team] and everyone involved.”

The ten players who have secured these contracts are Kayleen Green, Sune Wittmann, Arrasta Diergaardt, Edelle van Zyl, Bianca Manuel, Irene van Zyl, Wilka Mwatile, Mekelaye Mwatile, Naomi Benjamin, and Saima Tuhadeleni.

Namibia’s women’s cricket team is making strides in international cricket

Under the banner of “Capricorn Eagles,” the Namibia women’s team has been steadily making progress in international cricket, currently ranked 17th in the ICC Women’s T20I team rankings, which is their highest position achieved so far.

Their recent participation in the African Games saw mixed results, winning only one of their group-stage matches and failing to advance to the semi-finals. Despite this setback, Namibia’s women’s cricket team has been steadily improving since gaining T20I status in 2018.

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Having played a total of 72 international matches, they’ve won 44 of them. Notably, in 2019, they represented the Africa region in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier, although they didn’t progress to the main event in 2020. However, with the support of these professional contracts, Namibia’s women cricketers are poised to continue their upward trajectory in the world of cricket.