Namibia- The International element in Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Cricket Week

The Namibian under-19 cricket side is currently in Cape Town playing in the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week adding an international flavor to the tournament, and using the event to gain some experience ahead of their participation in the ICC under-19 World Cup in Australia next year.

Their presence, according to Shaheed Kahn, president of South African Schools Cricket, is in line with Cricket South Africa’s commitment to assist with the cricket development of our neighbours, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

“Zimbabwe usually play in our National under-19 franchise Cubs week,” Kahn explains, although this year they will be part of a tri-nations series along with South Africa and Pakistan instead.”

Zimbabwe did send teams to the under-13 and under-17 weeks, with Namibia participating in the under-15 and under-19 tournaments.

“Namibia will be going to the under-19 World Cup, so we have allowed them to include two players who are in their squad and are already out of school to play at this week,” Kahn says. “It makes them more competitive, and is in the interests of developing their game.”

Namibia manager, Scholastie Scholtz, says the trip so far has been a great experience for the players.

“There are only four or five schools that play a reasonable level of cricket in our country, and we also only have a handful of decent fields,” he says.

“While the majority of the players are from Windhoek, we have some who come from as far as 400km away. So, to get them together for a full week of tough cricket like this one has been great.

“We had to leave one or two of our top players behind, which has been a problem, but for the rest playing on fields like these and being part of the great tradition and spirit of the Coca-Cola Khaya Majola Week has been very special.

“We have been working hard at building the number of players in Namibia and that has been paying dividends at the junior weeks already. Once those players start coming through we should do better at under-19 level too.”

The future of any sport lies in the youth, and our neighbour’s, Nambia, are no different,” said Craig van Niekerk, Marketing Assets Manager.  “The      Coca-Cola brand is also present in Namibia and if we can help increase the level of the sport in that country we are happy.”

Bredell Wessels