The three new names in Namibia's 16-person team for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia from October 16 to November 13 include wicketkeeper-batsman Lohan Louwrens, batter Divan la Cock, and bowler Tangeni Lungameni.
Gerhard Erasmus will serve as captain of the team, which features a talented mix of youth and experience. Namibia hopes to repeat their outstanding accomplishments from last year in Australia by repurposing many of the impressive players from the 2021 Men's T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Namibia made an impression on everyone with their performances in their first appearance at the Men's T20 World Cup last year, overcoming a difficult Round 1 draw that included Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and Ireland to advance to the Super 12 round of the competition. Namibia entered the Super 12 stage, where they were paired with Scotland (who they defeated by four wickets), New Zealand, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, despite losing to Sri Lanka, by defeating the Netherlands and Ireland.
The team's 2021 captain, Erasmus, will rely on players like JJ Smit, Stephen Baard, Jan Frylinck, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, and the world-traveling David Wiese to improve their performances at the 2022 Men's T20 World Cup.
Namibia was drawn into Group A of the Round 1 stage of the competition in Australia along with Sri Lanka, Netherlands, and the UAE. The 16th of October will see the start of their campaign against Sri Lanka at Kardinia Park in Geelong. At the same location, they will play the Netherlands on October 18 and the UAE on October 20.
Namibia will play exhibition games against Zimbabwe on October 13 and Ireland on October 11 at the MCG before beginning their run in the Men's T20 World Cup 2022.
The head coach is still Pierre de Bruyn, and the assistant coach is still Albie Morkel, a former all-rounder for South Africa. The team will work with his brother, former South Africa pacer Morne Morkel, as their bowling consultant.
Namibia squad: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), JJ Smit, Divan la Cock, Stephen Baard, Nicol Loftie Eaton, Jan Frylinck, David Wiese, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Tangeni Lungameni, Michael van Lingen, Ben Shikongo, Karl Birkenstock, Lohan Louwrens, Helao Ya France.