T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest Namibia Predicted Playing XI against India

Prior to the 2021 T20 World Cup, Namibia weren’t expected to pose much threat to the opponents. However, Gerhard Erasmus and Co. have come out all guns blazing and have given a good account of themselves in the tournament. They started with a hefty seven-wicket loss at the hands of Sri Lanka and looked to be short of experience. From there on, Namibia started coming into their own.

They humbled Ireland and the Netherlands against the odds and stormed into the Super 12. In the second round, Erasmus’s men started with a four-wicket win against Scotland. But to their dismay, they ran out of gas and lost to New Zealand, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In their final Super 12 match on Monday against India, Namibia will be looking to put in a strong showing and end on a high.

Here is Namibia’s predicted Playing XI for IND vs NAM Match:

Openers- Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen

Namibia are unlikely to change their opening combination of Stephan Baard and Michael van Lingen for the upcoming game. The team has changed their openers on a quite a few instances without much results. Zane Green opened for a few games before getting pushed down to the middle order.

Baard has played four games thus far and has scored 76 runs at an average of 19. With a top score of 29, the right-hander hasn’t found his mojo. Van Lingen hasn’t been able to make much of an impact either. The left-hander has scored only 58 runs at an average of 14.50 and a strike rate of 98.30.

Middle-Order- Zane Green (wk), Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus

Namibia’s middle-order hasn’t completely flattered to deceive in the World Cup. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus has churned out 139 runs from seven matches at an average of 23.16 and a strike rate of 112.09. Not to forget that the 26-year-old Erasmus is more than a handy off-spinner as well.

Green has strained with the bat in the tournament. Change in batting positions hasn’t brought in change in fortunes for him. In six innings, Green has scored 80 runs at a strike rate of 76.92. Craig Williams batted at No.8 last time, but he is a vital member of their batting, having scored 119 runs.

All-rounders- David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton

Among the all-rounders, David Wiese has looked the very best without a shred of a doubt. In fact, calling the veteran their standout player in the mega event won’t be an understatement. Wiese has brought forth all his experience, having scored 201 runs at an average of 50.25 and a strike rate of 131.37.

He is also one of the two batters from Namibia to have scored a half-century in the tournament. Wiese has also picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 7.30. JJ Smit is a useful cricketer, having scored 69 runs and getting four wickets. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton has also done his bit in the T20 tournament.

Bowlers- Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, Karl Birkenstock

Bernard Scholtz has picked up only three wickets from six matches. Despite not making a whole lot of breakthroughs for Namibia, the left-hander has brought value to the Namibia lineup. His economy rate of 6.93 is the best among the ones, who have bowled more than 10 overs for them in the event.

Ruben Trumpelmann broke the backbone of the Scotland batting in his team’s first Super 12 match. The left-armer is their leading wicket-taker with eight scalps at an economy rate of 7.56. Kirk Birkenstock may get another chance after he came into the playing eleven in place of Jan Frylinck.