Cricket: Plenty at stake in vital clash

Ugandan skipper Davis Arinaitwe and Namibian captain Sarel Burger are hoping their sides will earn the right to contest the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy next year. Photo/George Novak

The presence of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy at Bay Oval yesterday added a little extra spice to the lead-up to today's ICC World Cup 2015 qualifier between Namibia and Uganda.

Namibian captain Sarel Burger and Ugandan skipper Davis Arinaitwe, on hand to pose with the trophy, said they were looking forward to playing in the African derby.

Burger, who played for Namibia in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, said his side was enjoying the Bay of Plenty.

"It's something different, I never thought we'd come here, but it's nice being here and a beautiful environment," he said.

"The facilities are obviously great and we are looking forward to the rest of the tournament."

The conditions were slightly different than had been expected, but he believed his bowlers, especially, had done a good job of adapting.

"We expected a bit quicker wickets. Obviously, when you hear about people coming here they say normally it's a bit quicker. But they have been playing well and there have been some good scores.

"It's actually quite similar to what we have at home - maybe just a bit slower, but in terms of grip and spin it is very similar.

"The bowling and fielding has been going great. We are still struggling with the bat a little bit, but I think it's coming through in the games and the guys are starting to take a bit of responsibility."

With just 2.3 million people in Namibia, and with cricket played only in the central region, progress in growing the game had been slow.

Burger believed winning another berth at cricket's showpiece to be imperative in building a strong following at home.

"It's exciting times for cricket in Namibia. There are massive rewards if you do well in this tournament, so, hopefully, we can pull it through for the younger guys to give them a future better than ourselves in cricket.

"In 2003, we played in the Cricket World Cup and that got cricket alive in Namibia. We kind of stagnated after that."

Ugandan captain Arinaitwe said his side had been inconsistent but were rapidly adapting to foreign conditions.

"The cricket has been up and down for us, but it can only get better," Arinaitwe said.

"The conditions are very different. The ball comes on to the bat, the wickets are good, the bounce is even, the outfields are quick, so it's completely different than back home.

"On these kind of wickets our strengths don't really come out. The batting is too easy on the wickets, so these games are not won by bowlers, I believe.

"We have a couple of games to go, we have adapted. I expect us to do better."

He said his side were relishing the opportunity to play together, as securing regular fixtures had proved difficult.

"Whenever we get the opportunity to play as Uganda it is an honour to play for our country."