Namibia have named an experienced squad for a home T20I tri-series against South Africa and Zimbabwe, with Gerhard Erasmus set to lead the side when the tournament begins later this week at the Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.

Squad and key selections

The squad includes veterans Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann and Bernard Scholtz, according to multiple reports. Opening batter Michael van Lingen, who retired in 2024 but returned to the Cricket World Cup League 2 last month, is also included, with one report noting he has not played a T20I since the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The same report suggests van Lingen is likely to open with 21-year-old Junior Taanyanda, who made his T20I debut in the recent tri-series against Hong Kong and Nigeria. The squad also includes fast bowlers Max Heingo and Waldo Smith, and off-spinner Jan Balt, described as the leading wicket-taker in that tri-series.

With South Africa having named a second-string side under Bjorn Fortuin, and Zimbabwe yet to announce their squad, Namibia's blend of experience and emerging players could prove decisive.

Series context and fixtures

Described as the FNB T20 Tri-Series, the five-match tournament runs from 28 August to 6 September in Windhoek, with the final scheduled for 6 September. After the T20 matches, Namibia will play three ODIs against South Africa, reportedly in preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup to be hosted across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

This is the second time Namibia host South Africa, with the Proteas having visited Namibia Cricket Ground in October 2024 for its inauguration, though the visitors lost that one-off T20I despite being without several first-choice players. Namibia enter the series in good form, having won the last five of their six T20Is, including four in their recent tri-series against Nigeria and Hong Kong, though they also lost a T20I series to Scotland 2-1.

The tri-series comes on the back of an underwhelming 2026 T20 World Cup, where Namibia lost all four matches. In the match against India, Erasmus picked four wickets and bowled impressively.

Response from Cricket Namibia

Cricket Namibia CEO Johan Muller expressed gratitude to Cricket South Africa and Zimbabwe Cricket for agreeing to the series, and to the title sponsor FNB. "We are immensely grateful to Cricket South Africa and Zimbabwe Cricket for their commitment to this series, which reflects the strong partnership and shared vision to grow cricket across the African continent," he said. "We also extend our sincere appreciation to FNB Namibia for coming on board as the title sponsor of Namibia's rights to the competition."