Namibia hosts two New Zealand matches

New Zealand will play two games against the Namibian Cricket Board as a warm-up for their controversial tour of Zimbabwe next month. Laurie Pieters, the NCB president, said the board was "honoured" and "blessed" to have the team visit.

"The England tour last year assisted not only the team, but increased the awareness of cricket in Namibia," Pieters said. A spokesman said the ICC's initiative to have Test nations visit countries on the High Performance Program before international tours was a tremendous boost for Africa.

Namibia played in the 2003 World Cup, losing their six matches, and missed out in qualifying for the next tournament in the West Indies when they finished seventh in the ICC Trophy in Ireland this month. The matches against New Zealand are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and the squad is due to arrive in Zimbabwe on August 4.