The Namibia national cricket team, nicknamed the Eagles, is the men’s team that represents the Republic of Namibia in international cricket. It is organized by Cricket Namibia, which became an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1992. Namibia Cricket History.
The team representing South West Africa played domestically in South Africa before Namibia’s independence in 1990. Namibia finished second in the 2001 ICC Trophy, thereby qualifying for the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa. The team made their One Day International (ODI) debut in the tournament but failed to win a match.
ICC International Cup
Starting in 2004, Namibia has participated in every edition of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, finishing as runners-up in 2007–08. He also featured at the highest levels of the World Cricket League (WCL), participated in the WCL Championship twice, and finished third in the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.
Namibia finished runners-up in the 2019 WCL Division Two tournament to gain ODI status and qualify for the 2019–2023 ICC Cricket World Cup League 2. World Cup. They then recorded their first World Cup victories, defeating the Netherlands and Ireland in the first round of the tournament to reach the Super 12 stage.
Early History
The earliest instance of cricket being played in Windhoek dates back to 1909 when South West Africa was largely a German colony. During World War, I (1914), South African troops invaded the region. A game of cricket was recorded at the Okonjande war camp near Otjiwarango. After the defeat of Germany, South Africa occupied South West Africa. It came under the League of Nations mandate in the Union of South Africa.
After that, cricket was played regularly in the Western Province. The South West Africa Cricket Union was formed in 1930 and the first organized matches were played in the region. South West Africa began playing in the annual South African Country Cricket Association competition in the 1961–62 season.
Cricket Association
South West Africa competed in the annual South African Country Cricket Association competition between 1961 and 1989. In 1966, the Namibian War of Independence was launched by the Namibian People’s Liberation Army, an armed wing of SWAPO. The South West African rebels welcomed South Africa’s apartheid government’s boycott of the games and supported the “Stop the tour” campaign.
South West Africa played their last domestic season in January 1989 in South Africa. In April, the PLAN launched its final guerrilla campaign, and the South West Africa Cricket Union severed its ties with the South African Cricket Board (SACB).
In November 1989, a Namibian team toured Botswana and played their first international match, although the Namibian Cricket Board was not affiliate with the International Cricket Council until 1992.
County Cricket Club
After the Botswana tour, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club toured Namibia in March 1990 to take part in the Independence Day celebrations. This was follow by a visit to the Netherlands in April. Prior to the formation of the African Cricket Association, the SCSA Zone VI Cricket Federation was form after two schoolboy cricket tours between Namibia and Botswana in 1989 and 1990.
The inaugural ACA tournament was held in Windhoek in September 1991, playing Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho, and Botswana, as well as Oxford University Cricket Club.
2003 Cricket World Cup
The road to the 2003 Cricket World Cup began with the 2001 ICC Trophy in Canada. Namibia reached the final of the Toronto Cricket, Skating, and Curling Club. Losing to the Netherlands, but still qualified for their first World Cup. Namibia then hosted the ICC 6 Nations Challenge in April 2002, finishing fourth, and began a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign in September, finishing fourth in their group and only beating Tanzania. , before losing four matches against Zimbabwe A a few weeks later.
The tour to Kenya was more successful, as Namibia defeated Kenya in a four-match ODI series. Namibia then competed in the Standard Bank Cup, the top level of South African domestic ODI cricket. But lost all five of their games. Bangladesh toured in January 2003, winning the five-match ODI series 4–1. Namibia Cricket History.
The World Cup itself began on 10 February 2003 in Harare when Zimbabwe defeated Namibia by 86 runs in the first One Day International (ODI).
T20 International
In April 2018, the ICC decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members. Therefore, all T20 matches played between Namibia and other ICC members from 1 January 2019 are full T20s. Namibia’s first T20I match was against Ghana on 20 May 2019 in the regional final of the 2018–19 ICC World T20 Africa Qualifier tournament.
ICC Memberships
In July 2020, the Namibian men’s team won the ICC Associate Member Men’s Performance of the Year award. After achieving One-Day International (ODI) status, at the ICC’s annual development awards for developing cricketing nations. To acknowledge.
Namibia qualified for the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. After finishing fourth in the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in April 2019. They lost their first match against Sri Lanka but registered a win for the first time in history. World Cup event when they defeated the Netherlands by 6 wickets in Abu Dhabi on 20 October 2021. Namibia Cricket History.
In the next match against Ireland on 22 October 2021. Namibia created history by winning the match by 8 wickets. And qualified for the Super 12 stage of the tournament. On 27 October 2021, in the first Super 12 match for Namibia. They beat Scotland by 4 wickets to achieve another historic win. For more details click here