Thakur to plough back into juniors

Outgoing national team cricket coach Tee Thakur will take on a new role as the manager and coaching coordinator of the country's junior age groups and development programmes.

This was announced on Tuesday by Cricket Namibia (CN).

Thakur has been national coach since 2015 and was responsible for preparing the players for all formats, including International Cricket Council (ICC) qualification events.

The soft-spoken coach said CN saw it fit for him to coach young players, as it believes the value he brings would be suitable for junior players.

He said he plans to improve quality and depth and bring young players quicker into the national set-up.

He will also work with coaches to improve and identify players who can be pushed to greater heights.

Thakur added he wants to spread the game to rural areas where it is not played. “CN has limited funds but we have reached Outjo, the coastal towns as well as Otjiwarongo and want to strengthen the sport there before we again move to other places,” he said.

Thakur was responsible for the high-performance set-up as well as strategic and operational planning at CN, which included assisting with the development of comprehensive plans and supporting programmes.

This was in line with meeting CN's short, medium and long-term development objectives at all levels.

CN said in a statement Thakur had invigorated the spirit of cricket and helped bring more pride to its activities.

“As the outgoing national coach Thakur is leaving huge shoes to be filled. CN would like to express respect and appreciation to Thakur for his efforts, commitment and achievements over the past years.”