Sparks to fly at Over-50 Africa Cup series

Top-notch veterans cricket entertainment will be the order of the day during November with hosts Namibia set to square off against South Africa’s A and B sides and Zimbabwe in the Over-50 Africa Cup 2024 series.

The tournament, hosted by the Veterans Cricket Association of Namibia, will produce eight 45-over matches to be played at the Namibia Cricket Grounds, Wanderers Sports Club and the Trustco United Sports Club in Windhoek.

Namibia’s Over-50's cricket team captain, Dawie Hartzenberg says: “The visitors should not underestimate us. On D-Day, who knows what can happen on the day ? We might rock up in a way that they never expected. I am not starting a war, only issuing a friendly warning.”

According to Hartzenberg, his team of brave warriors is looking forward to the challenge on home ground. “Over and above the added pressure, I think playing at home will bring out our fighting spirit. It will pull the guys together and we want to do our best in front of our people, our sponsors, friends and family.”

Namibia will play South Africa A at Wanderers Sports Ground in the tournament opener on 17 November at 10:00, while South Africa A will take on Zimbabwe at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Olympia.

More round-robin matches will follow on 18 and 20 November, before the next day’s bronze final at Wanderers and cup final at United (both starting at 10:00).

Fans unable to attend the matches in person can follow NTV’s live broadcast of every match on https://oneuptwo.com, DStv (channel 285) and GOtv (channel 25).

The series will serve as preparation for the Namibian team which is seeded with New Zealand, UAE, USA, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Pool A for the IMC Over-50s World Cup in Sirl Lanka in 2025.

“This series will be excellent preparation for the World Cup. There is already a power struggle going on between South Africa (who finished as runners-up at the previous World Cup) and Zimbabwe. Both are strong sides with a few players that played at full international level in their younger days.

“Both visiting countries are also introducing some new players and we can get a look at what they have in store and how to better prepare for the World Cup in Sri Lanka,” said Hartzenberg.

According to him, the Namibians have set clear goals and targets for themselves.

“Coming from previous Africa Cups and World Cups, we are trying to raise up our level of competitiveness and be a bit more of a factor than we were in the previous series.

“We have been training towards that in the off-season, even during winter when everybody was still under the duvets, we were getting our hands smashed during fielding, batting and bowling practice sessions.”

Hartzenberg, who is an all-rounder and plays for United Cricket Club, named the retired Proteas all-rounder Alan Dawson (54) as the toughest opponent he ever played against.

“There's a lot of local guys that are tough to play against, but you get to know them and what to expect from them in games. Alan is very skilled. As a bowler he can swing the ball both ways – In, out, straight and with a bit of pace as well. He is a very challenging bowler to face and he is always thinking to exploit ways to get you out.

“For Alan, it's not just about trying to get the ball down the pitch. He’s always awake to work out your technique and approach, and that makes batting against him even more difficult.”