Image: Cricket Namibia
Namibia will host South Africa for a historic first meeting between the two sides to mark the official opening of the new FNB Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek later this year.
ESPN Cricinfo said the one-off T20I will take place on October 11 to commemorate the opening of Cricket Namibia’s first official stadium.
Cricket Namibia broke ground on the new stadium in March 2024 and the state-of-the-art stadium will become a cornerstone of Namibia’s cricket infrastructure.
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Situated in the south of the capital city of Windhoek, the ground will hold a capacity of 7,000.
The venue will also house Namibia’s High Performance Centre, with an indoor centre and gym to prime the country’s aspiring and elite players who meet for camps at various times across the year.
With the capacity to host international matches, it is set to become a hub for cricket in the region. Internationals previously took place at the Wanderers, also in Windhoek, which is a club ground.
The new stadium is located close to the 10,000-capacity Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek which hosts rugby matches and will also include a restaurant and corporate lounges.
The new ground will host the matches during the 2026 Under-19 Men’s World Cup and the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.
Namibia is the co-host for the Under-19 World Cup with Zimbabwe and for the ODI World Cup with Zimbabwe and South Africa. The ground has been under construction since 2021 and will have a capacity of 7000. It is also the home of Namibia’s high-performance centre.
Johann Muller, Cricket Namibia CEO, said, “This truly is a memorable occasion. The new ground has been a dream for the last four years and has finally materialised. A match against our neighbours, and one of the top cricketing countries in the world, is the perfect way to open this world-class facility.”
Despite being neighbours, South Africa have never played an international against Namibia, at bilateral or tournament level, and the trip across the western border indicates the growth in relations in cricket on the continent.
South Africa and Zimbabwe are both playing a significant role at the African Cricket Association and there are talks of increased fixtures, such as this one, to grow the game.
South Africa will also travel to Zimbabwe for the first time in 11 years later this year to play two Tests and a T20I tri-series.
Pholesti Moseki, Cricket South Africa CEO, said, “We are honoured to be part of this historic occasion. Namibia are a competitive side, and this fixture reflects the growing strength of cricket on the continent. As a fellow African cricketing nation and the host of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, we are proud to support the official opening of this new cricket ground, which will be one of the host venues of the tournament.”
By the time the match takes place, Namibia will have also competed in the Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, where there are two spots available for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Namibia have played in the last three T20 World Cups, and their highest profile win was over Sri Lanka in Geelong in 2022.
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