Eagles plan meticulously for T20 World Cup

The FNB Eagles touring squad will depart from Windhoek to Dubai today and should be well adapted to conditions by the time their ICC T20 World Cup campaign in India kicks off on 10 February.

Namibia will compete in its fourth consecutive tournament, with a tried and tested core including captain Gerhard Erasmus, wicketkeeper Zane Green, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Jan Frylinck and Ben Shikongo who have played in every edition since the country’s debut at Emirates 2021.

The Eagles squad nevertheless have a fresh look with the injection of several T20 World Cup debutants. Craig Williams took over as head coach from the successful Pierre de Bruyn in May 2025, while the influence of Gary Kirsten as a consultant could be considerable. The former Proteas batsman was India’s coach during their World Cup triumph in 2011.

Lead-in to the big day

The FNB Eagles recently returned from a training camp in the Western Cape, due to Namibia’s main fields currently occupied by its successful co-hosting of the ICC U19 World Cup.

The Namibians attended a send-off at their main sponsors FNB Namibia yesterday, ahead of their departure to Dubai.

Two warm-up fixtures against Afghanistan on 26 and 28 January should immediately introduce the intensity to be expected at a World Cup. On the next day, an interesting challenge awaits in a first-ever T20 international against European debutant T20 World Cup qualifiers Italy.

Namibia’s two official warm-up fixtures in India will be against West Indies and Bangladesh on 2 and 4 February.

The Eagles’ T20 World Cup group matches:

10 February, vs Netherlands in New Delhi

12 February, vs India in New Delhi

15 February, vs USA in Chennai

18 February, vs Pakistan in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Bonding in the Cape

About the training camp, FNB Eagles captain Gerhard Erasmus said: “In terms of facilities, we needed to go somewhere else and we found a quick home in Cape Town.

“It's a great place to tour, obviously. We took an extended squad of 22 people, so gave the young guys touring experience and exposure to our team culture and how we operate and how we want to play cricket. We played three inter-squad warm-up matches, so that in itself had a lot of value.

“We met up with our new consultant Gary Kirsten. Justin Kemp, our assistant coach, was around. It was awesome just to have two weeks in each other's company and sort of gear up for what will be an important tournament.”

Erasmus said the senior campaigners will be expected to lead in pressure situations, combined with the youngsters’ exuberance.

“It's no secret that we are in the group of death, with the two powerhouses India and Pakistan. We're playing in subcontinent conditions, so we're basically playing in their own conditions.

“They'll be immensely challenging teams and then also probably the two best Associate nations at the moment. We are under no illusion that it's going to be a very tough group, but we will look to start well against The Netherlands.”

‘Pressure’ after Proteas win

Head coach Craig Williams mentioned how the team’s sensational last outing will affect opponents’ view of Namibia.

“That victory against South Africa, it wasn't just 11 players on the team, it was CEO Johan Müller's leadership with 80 staff members and how they put everything together.

“It was the support of the whole country, you could see what's going on. As a team, I can guarantee you, we feel the responsibility to make this country proud. We're going to India, not as underdogs, we're going there to compete.

“I remember the World Cup I played (2021), we (said things like) we're going for experience. Well, this is our fourth one. That language doesn't get used anymore.

“We go in there and we're planning the whole time on how are we going to take down big countries. There's a massive target on our backs, we know that. Beating South Africa comes with a huge amount of responsibility. I think the world is watching us very closely.

“We're going to wear this eagle badge with a lot of pride. We're also going to represent our sponsors with a lot of pride on the international stage.

“As a team, we can guarantee that we are fit, we're in a very good mental space. We're going there to do a job and we're going to go there to make everybody proud.”