Young eagles learn to fly – sport

The Namibian Eagles face the USA in their final Tri-Nations T20 international tomorrow and are still looking for a series win.

A 40-run defeat against the United Arab Emirates on September 29 was followed by a 13-run defeat against the USA two days later and a six-wicket defeat in the second meeting against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

This followed a lean run in the 50-plus game Tri-Nations series, where they managed just one win in four games against the same opponents. However, national coach Pierre de Bruyn said that they are busy building a new squad and that this will take some time.

“As far as results go, of course it’s not ideal and quite disappointing. However, we are in a transition phase in which we are rebuilding a squad and many young players are getting opportunities. “We are missing four or five players who have recently played in the World Cup, so we have to try to stay two steps ahead of certain players and also try out different combinations to put them together for the T20 World Cup qualifier in Uganda in June next year.” he said.

“We fully understand that it will take time to rebuild a new squad and identify each player in specific roles, but we will not stop competing in difficult times because that is what will keep us in “Be beneficial for eight years to 12 months,” he added.

“These younger players need that presence now. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it takes longer for them to gain traction, so we have to accept that and realize that we are in a rebuilding phase,” he said.

Experienced all-rounder David Wiese retired after the T20 World Cup in June, while star pace bowler Ruben Trumpelmann is out for six months due to knee surgery.

Additionally, explosive opening batsman Niko Davin was unavailable for professional reasons, while Michael van Lingen, who is just 26, also retired for professional reasons, according to De Bruyn.

“Nico Davin is a full-time employee, so his availability is a challenge when it comes to playing full tournaments. Michael van Lingen retired after the ODI series, so this is a big loss for us. He is now transitioning into a full-time work environment, he said.

Van Lingen's retirement in particular is a big loss as he was Namibia's star batsman in the 50-over Tri Nations series, scoring 246 runs at an average of 61.50 and a top score of 107, and his absence was in the T20 series noticeable.

Jan Frylinck was drafted into the opening role but apart from a brisk 20 in the first game against the United Arab Emirates, he didn't make much of an impression, while Namibia regularly lost early wickets, putting the middle order under pressure.

In their second defeat against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Namibia actually got off to a disastrous start, losing three wickets for just two runs and failing to recover, with only Zane Green (52 not out) and JJ Smit (28) having much to offer Resistance in a meager total of 110.

Several young players were added to the team, including Dylan Pfarrer (20), Jack Brassell (19), Jan Balt (20) and Jan Izak de Villiers (23), with the latter making his T20 international debut in the first match against the UAE. But the starts were largely inauspicious, and in the end Namibia's experienced players bore most of the burden.

Captain Gerhard Erasmus is Namibia's best batsman in the series so far with 114 runs at an average of 38.00 and a top score of 77, while JJ Smit has scored 91 runs at an average of 30.33 and Nicol Loftie-Eaton has 59 runs with an average of 29.50.

Erasmus also played with the ball and is Namibia's top wicket taker alongside fellow spinners Bernard Scholtz and Brassell, who have taken all three wickets so far.

They face the USA for the second time tomorrow and after narrowly handing them a 13-run loss the first time around, they certainly have the potential to pick up a win.