Kathmandu, April 15,
The coach of the touring Namibia cricket side has said that his team will enjoy playing in front a big crowd as it plays against Nepal’s national side in the first game of the third round of the World Cricket League, at TU Cricket Ground, Kirtipur.
“There’s talk of spin (playing an important role in the match), but with the white ball, I think, both the teams would be at the same level.”
Coach Dee Thakur, who was speaking to the media on the eve of the game, also said that the pitch on which tomorrow’s match will be played is better than what he had expected.
“Before coming to Nepal we played Afghanistan in Greater Noida, India. There, the pitch had no grass, it was made for spin,” said the coach. “But here the sight of grass is good to see.”
“There’s talk of spin (playing an important role in the match), but with the white ball, I think, both the teams would be at the same level,” added Thakur.
Captain Stephan Baard said his team came to Nepal with a strategy to play spin bowling. “We are looking to play the ball as late as possible, that is what we need to do to play spin in this part of the world,” said the skipper. He said that the match was big not just because two countries were playing against each other, but also because the matches could be a turning point in the league.
“We are looking to play the ball as late as possible, that is what we need to do to play spin in this part of the world.”
Namibia have only won a single match in the league while Nepal are yet to win a match. “At this level, the chances of winning comes to 50-50,” says the coach. Skipper Baard says who will win the matches will be decided in small moments such as a crucial wicket, or a crucial hit.
Namibia come to Nepal without their wicket-keeper batsman Raymond Van Schoor (25), who died in November following an on-field stroke. The team is also without left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz, who misses the series due to ill health. Scholtz, according to Baard, is the team’s main spinner. He took three wickets in a maiden over against PNG in the T20 WC qualifier against PNG in July 2015.
Skipper Baard says the absence of Schoor, one of the leading batsmen in the side, leaves a big gap in the middle order. ” The gap is not easy to fill in a country like Namibia where we do not have lot of cricketers to choose from,” he added.
“A win here would be a fitting tribute to Raymond,” he said.
