Namibia Under 19 (U/19) men’s cricket national coach Oscar Nauhaus says the team will now focus on preparations for the 2024 World Cup, which is set for next year in Sri Lanka.
The Walvis Bay Salt Eagles booked their spot at the much-anticipated tournament after winning the just-ended World Cup qualifiers that were held in Tanzania late last month.
Namibia joins New Zealand, Nepal, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indies and Zimbabwe, who automatically qualified as the best-placed full-member nations from the previous edition in 2022.
Reflecting on the tournament, Nauhaus said he had the feeling prior to the tournament that his side stood a good chance to progress to the finals and eventually get into the World Cup.
He also added that despite booking their spot at the prestigious tournament, it was quite challenging qualifiers, and it took teamwork and hard work to execute their entire plan.
“I believed about three or two months prior to the tournament that there was unity, hunger and a fighting spirit in the camp, and that assisted us in ensuring our game plan was executed. The fact that the Eagles coach, Pierre de Bruyn, was part of the coaching staff as an assistant also added that missing thing to make sure we are winning,” he said.
Heading forward, he said the team would turn their focus on the preparation and work on their shortcomings.
“For now, we will go back, reset and start with our preparations for the upcoming World Cup, which will be in the next seven months. We also have some areas I think we should work on where there are shortcomings,” he said.
Meanwhile, Alexander Volschenk, the young Eagles’ captain, said it was a very challenging tournament but the team understood what was expected of them, and they made sure to qualify.
He also added the tournament was quite challenging because the weather was not favourable at some point.
“This is what we have been dreaming of since our childhood days – and when we got the opportunity, we made sure we got to experience how it feels to win. The first three games were a bit easier than the last two matches we played, but we were there to motivate each other, which pushed us past the finishing line,” he said.