Maurice Kambukwe

WINDHOEK – One of Namibia’s highly-celebrated cricketers Pikky Ya France says there is still a lot of unmined opportunities in the local cricket setup and thus aspiring cricketers from all walks of life should not stop chasing their dreams.

In a recent interview with New Era Sport, Ya France – who is one of Namibia’s very few professional black cricketers – said making a breakthrough into the top echelons of local cricket is not easy but with sheer determination and relentless hard work, all is possible and there is still hope for local would-be professional cricket players.

Ya France, who enjoys a fruitful partnership with banking giant Standard Bank Namibia, said the reason why the sport of cricket is not so popular in many black communities is due to lack of decentralisation and transformation of the various development programmes.

He believes that if local cricket authorities redouble their efforts in taking cricket to all corners of the country, a new influx of fresh talent will be witnessed and with that kind of exposure, it will subsequently act as a gateway for cricketers of colour.

“In the case of someone lacking the necessary support to get into cricket and they really want to play the sport, I believe they should keep pushing, remain persistent and I promise something will eventually have to give in. Not losing hope, remaining determined and working are key because people will at one point catch on and support you,” said Ya France, who last year benefited immensely from an equipment sponsorship from Standard Bank.

Using his relationship with Standard Bank as a point of reference, Ya France believes it is a clear demonstration that there is hope for all local cricketers if they work hard, remain on course and continue to pursue their dreams.

“I just want to say thanks to Standard Bank Namibia for sponsoring me last year with cricket equipment. That was so good of them to come on board and hopefully we can continue this awesome partnership going into the future,” concludes an optimistic Ya France.