Namibia target their first final
Namibia can make significant strides towards their first Intercontinental Cup final when they take on bottom-of-the-table Bermuda in Hamilton. They are currently second in the table, level on points with Scotland, but have two games in hand
Cricinfo staff
01-Sep-2008
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Once again they are boosted by having a full-strength squad available, a factor which has been in their favour during the tournament while other sides have struggled to field their best elevens.
Their quartet of Burgers (Louis, Sarel, JB and Kola) form the backbone of the side. They are supported by Gerrie Snyman, who scored 230 out of a total of 282 to set up victory against Kenya in January, as well as Louis Klazinga and Bjorn Kotze, who have also performed well in the tournament so far.
Also included in the squad is 18-year-old Bernard Scholtz, a slow left-armer who impressed during this year's Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. Scholtz, whose 21-year-old brother Nicolaas is also in the squad, could make his debut on Wednesday.
"Bernard was one of the top bowlers in Malaysia last February and I have been impressed with him," said coach Johan Rudolph. "He is still in school and very young but we thought he would benefit from being here. Whether he makes the final eleven for the match will depend on pitch conditions and how he goes in the nets but he is certainly one to watch for the future."
An outright win for Namibia would almost guarantee a spot in November's final although mathematically there would still be a chance that both Kenya and Ireland could overtake them.
"We are well prepared for this," said Rudolph. "Everyone is fit and ready to go and I am very happy with our preparations. To get to the final or win this tournament would be huge for Namibian cricket. It would mean a hell of a lot to us and our sponsors. We are competing as a [ICC World Cricket League] Division 2 side against Division 1 teams in this competition and we are competing well. If we win it, it will be great for the sport in our country.
"Our strength probably lies in our seam attack. We are able to put sides under pressure with our consistency and pace," he added. "Then we have a few individual batsmen capable of scoring big runs. Altogether I am very happy with how we are developing."
For Bermuda, the only thing left to play for in this year's Intercontinental Cup is pride and a place off the bottom of the table. A win for Irving Romaine's team would lift them two places, ahead of United Arab Emirates and the 2006-07 finalist Canada, who are locked in joint-seventh position on 29 points.
Namibia (from) Louis Burger (captain), Raymond van Schoor, JB Burger, Sarel Burger, Gerrie Snyman, Deon Kotze, Bjorn Kotze, Tobie Verwey, Craig Williams, Kola Burger, Nicolaas Scholtz, Bernard Scholtz, LP van der Westhuizen, Louis Klazinga
Bermuda (from) Irving Romaine (captain), Rodney Trott, Jekon Edness, Lionel Cann, Dwayne Leverock, Stephen Outerbridge, Ryan Steede, Christopher Douglas, Deloyne Borden, Oronde Bascome, Tamauri Tucker, Stefan Kelly, George O'Brien, Kyle Hodsoll
| Team | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw | Aban | Pts | Quotient | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 1.367 | 2075/73 | 2079/100 |
| Namibia | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 1.256 | 2390/83 | 2246/98 |
| Scotland | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 82 | 1.302 | 1969/69 | 1972/90 |
| Ireland | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 2.625 | 2261/38 | 1700/75 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 0.771 | 3050/128 | 3030/98 |
| U.A.E. | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0.787 | 3024/124 | 3129/101 |
| Canada | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0.782 | 2814/114 | 3094/98 |
| Bermuda | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0.655 | 2513/120 | 2846/89 |
