Jack Brassell is determined to do Namibia proud after being called up to his first senior World Cup.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past year, earning a place in the Eagles’ squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States after impressing at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, where he picked up six wickets in four matches, including three against eventual champions Australia.
That was enough to convince selectors that he merited a place in the senior squad and after making his T20I debut in March against Nepal, Brassell says he cannot wait to represent his country on the biggest stage of all.
He said: “It’s a big honour to be able to represent my country in the World Cup. It’s a bit nerve-wracking but I’m very excited. I worked hard to get into this position.
“There’s definitely quite a bit of a change from youth to senior level. You don’t get away with as many things and you’ve got to be more consistent.
“Our coach [Pierre De Bruyn] pushes us quite a bit and that helps us improve. He’s a good coach and he’s taught me a lot, he is one of the main reasons I am where I am today.
“Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese also definitely know a lot. They help us youngsters out really well. They’ve taught me a lot and you just always have to listen to what they say.
“Even if they’re not necessarily speaking directly to you, you always have to listen. They’ve always got something to teach, and you can learn a lot, especially us youngsters.”
Namibia impressed in qualifying for the tournament, taking six wins from six at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, and have been drawn in Group B alongside Australia, England, Oman and Scotland.
The right-arm seamer, who is part of Durham’s academy in the UK, is confident that Namibia can cause an upset and inspire viewers at home ahead of co-hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe.
He added: “I wasn’t there for the Qualifier stage but winning six from six was a pretty big deal.
“It gave us quite a bit of confidence and chemistry in the team and I think that’ll carry us well into the World Cup and we’ll keep the standards high.
“Being here at the World Cup will improve my game. It’s a different level from the academy in Durham or club cricket in Namibia and the experience will be really good.
“I’m really looking forward to playing England and Australia, I feel that will challenge us and it’s cricket so the best team on the day will win and playing those two will be a good opportunity for us.
“Being underestimated motivates us to prove people wrong and we’ll definitely be giving it our all.
“Doing well in this World Cup will benefit us. Playing well and keeping the standards high will do a lot to promote cricket back home in Namibia and all of us will be looking forward to hosting in 2027.”
solo kill
Abbas Ali Baig was the first Indian cricketer to be kissed during a Test match – When Abbas Ali Baig reached a half-century in the third Test match against Australia at the Brabourne Stadium in 1960, a pretty young girl ran all the way from the North Stand to greet the batsman. She kissed Baig on his cheek.
Vicious Street
Sport Trivia: Who beat South Africa twice in the 1992 Cricket World Cup? Answer: England. South Africa played against England in the group stage on 12 March 1992 in Melbourne, and England won by 3 wickets. They then faced each other again in the semi-finals on the 22 March in Sydney, and England won by 19 runs.