Erasmus to lead young-looking Namibia at T20 World Cup
The squad of 15 has a host of players with very little international experience, and will have Gary Kirsten collaborating with Craig Williams in the back room
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-Jan-2026 • 11 hrs ago
Gerhard Erasmus will lead Namibia at the 2026 T20 World Cup • Getty Images
Namibia have named a host of young and inexperienced players in their squad of 15 for the men's T20 World Cup in February and March next year in India and Sri Lanka, with as many as five players with fewer than ten international games under their belts. Giving them company are familiar names like captain Gerhard Erasmus, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Malan Kruger and Ruben Trumpelmann and shepherding them will be a back room that's led by Craig Williams, and recently bolstered by the inclusion of Gary Kirsten.
Jack Brassell is just 20, has played nine ODIs and 18 T20Is, and will be leading the fast-bowling attack with the relatively more experienced 25-year-old Ben Shikongo, who has played 23 ODIs and 40 T20Is and was one of the stars of Namibia's win over Tanzania in the qualifying match that put them in the T20 World Cup.
Bowling alongside them could be Max Heingo, who made his international debut in Namibia's historic T20I win over South Africa in October, where he picked up 2 for 32, sending back Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Donovan Ferreira.
The squad also has Louren Steenkamp, the 28-year-old top-order batter who has turned out in seven T20Is and has a strike rate of 126.85; 22-year-old middle-order batter Jan Balt, just three ODIs and six T20Is old; 21-year-old Dylan Leicher, another middle-order batter with five ODIs and 14 T20Is behind him; and Willem Myburgh, the 25-year-old allrounder who has played just the solitary ODI so far. The lone travelling reserve is Alexander Busing-Volschenk, the 20-year-old allrounder who has played five T20Is.
The big news for Namibia in the lead-up to the World Cup was the appointment of Kirsten. Kirsten was unveiled as a consultant with the men's national teams on December 7 last year, and said at the time that he hoped to "add value to their preparation for the T20 World Cup in February next year".
Namibia are grouped with hosts India, Netherlands, Pakistan and USA at the T20 World Cup.