Capricorn Eagles embark on tour to Dubai
Women’s cricket
The national women’s cricket team, the Capricorn Eagles, were officially sent off at N/a’an ku sê last week, marking the beginning of their journey to take on the United Arab Emirates in six T20 internationals in Dubai T20. Johan Muller, CEO of Cricket Namibia, said the primary goal of the tour (26 September to 3 October) is to test the team against UAE, a team currently ranked two spots above the Capricorn Eagles.
Muller highlighted that earlier this year, the Eagles had triumphed over UAE twice during their tour in Namibia. He believes the upcoming tour provides an excellent opportunity for the players to further enhance their skills, especially in different playing conditions.
“Don’t stand back for anyone. Fight for every run and show off your skills. You are all amazing cricketers, who have grown so much in the last two years. And go out and enjoy it,” Muller said.
Francois van der Merwe, the head coach, expressed the assurance that the team is thoroughly prepared for the challenge.
“Playing international cricket is always exciting. We’ve had a bit of a lay-off since April, but we had a good tournament in April, beating UAE two-nil.
“We are going into the unknown this time, playing in different conditions, which will test the girls.
“We’ve been given some input from the national men’s coach (Pierre de Bruyn), whose team have been more frequent tourists to Dubai. To acclimate to the extensive heat over there, the players have been undergoing sauna sessions. I’m quite happy with our conditioning.
“We are playing at a wonderful facility, with bounce in the wickets which could suit our game.
“The competition for world rankings points will ensure that each match will be well contested. We aim to improve our standing on the world rankings.”
Team captain Irené van Zyl says the series between teams 15 and 17 on the world rankings should deliver a good contest.
“For most of us it will be our first visit to Dubai. The conditions could be a bit more humid than when we played UAE in Windhoek during April, but we intend to go out and enjoy ourselves.”
Marlize Horn, executive officer of the Capricorn Foundation, expressed her excitement regarding the development of women’s cricket and the opportunities it provides for the players. Her enthusiasm underlines the growing significance of women’s cricket in the sports world.
The Namibian player squad:
Irené van Zyl (captain), Yasmeen Khan (vice-captain), Naomi Benjamin, Arrasta Diergaardt, Didi Foerster, Mezerley Gorases (wicketkeeper), Kayleen Green, Victoria Hamunyela, Bianca Manuel, Mekelanye Mwatile, Wilke Mwatile, Sylvia Shihepo, Saima Tuhadeleni, Edelle van Zyl.