Captain says Namibia must learn to adapt to the 50-over game

Success in four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup can be transferred to shorter format, insists Burger
Making the adjustments needed to convert good performances in multi-day cricket into the shorter format of the limited-overs game will be the biggest challenge facing Namibia in this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, according to captain Louis Burger.

Burger led his side to the final of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup last year, losing in a thriller to Ireland in Port Elizabeth. But while few sides were able to live with the likes of Kola Burger, Gerrie Snyman and Louis Klazinga in that format, the south-west Africans have struggled to replicate that dominant form when the number of overs is restricted to 50 per side.

“The four-day format is good because you play a lot of cricket without the same pressure on you. When batting you have plenty of time and with the ball there tends to be a wider margin of error,” said 31-year-old Burger.

“We are playing in the South African amateur tournament which means we play a three-day game followed by a one-day game so we have been getting good practice in both formats.

“There are a few adjustments to be made from one to the other and also with the conditions. The shorter format puts a bit more pressure on you but everyone is adapting well. I think it’s important we make that adjustment when it really matters. If we can, I don’t think there’s any reason why we cannot make the top four of this tournament and get on our way to the World Cup.

“At the moment our preparations are going very well. Playing in that tournament in South Africa has been good for us. The mood in the squad is very good, everyone is excited and looking forward to the competition,” he said.

Having been a beaten finalist in this tournament in 2001 (it was then known as the ICC Trophy), Namibia knows what it’s like to take part in the ICC Cricket World Cup. Four years later it just lost out on qualification for the 2007 event in the West Indies so Burger is very keen to turn that fortune around and sample that World Cup experience again in 2011.

“I suppose every team thinks it should get a place in the top four and we feel the same. We work very hard and were very upset not to make the previous World Cup. We have worked hard again this time and on the day it will just depend on who has practiced the most, who works hard or who wants it the most.

“There are plenty of good teams. Everyone deserves a place there but unfortunately only four can get there. It’s our job to make sure Namibia is one of those four,” said the all-rounder.

“Cricket in Namibia is very small compared to all the other countries. We only have six premier league teams in the country playing against each other. So development is a very high priority here and the extra money that qualification would bring in through the ICC would help players develop and give a real incentive to younger players to come through the system and stay in Namibia rather than going away to study or work in other countries.

“So, the financial implication is probably the most vital aspect of qualification but the exposure that comes with playing at a World Cup, the experience of playing against the top teams and playing One-Day Internationals are also important.”

Namibia (squad): Louis Burger (captain), Raymond van Schoor, JB Burger, Sarel Burger, Gerrie Snyman, Craig Williams, LP van der Westhuizen, Nicolaas Scholtz, Deon Kotze, Bjorn Kotze, Ian van Zyl, Louis Klazinga, Tobie Verwey, Bernard Scholtz, Hendrik Marx.

Listen to the full interview with Louis Burger at http://www.icc-cricket.com/.

This captain’s interview is one of 12 that will go out before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The schedule for those releases is as follows (including those that have been sent out already):

31 Jan – confirmation of all 12 participating teams

10 Feb – fixtures and venues confirmation

10 Mar – squad announcements (all 12 squads)

Releases (12) in the month beforehand, each focusing on one of the teams:

11 Mar – Namibia

12 Mar – Bermuda

13 Mar - Scotland

16 Mar – Ireland

17 Mar – Afghanistan

18 Mar – Canada

19 Mar – Netherlands

20 Mar – UAE

23 Mar – Uganda

24 Mar – Kenya

25 Mar – Oman

26 Mar – Denmark

In addition, there will be further tournament previews and other features sent out before the event gets underway on 1 April.

In total there are nine venues being used for 54 matches played over 19 days with 12 teams fighting it out for the four qualification places on offer in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, formerly known as the ICC Trophy, incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League and is the gateway for the top Associate and Affiliate teams into the premier one-day tournament in the world.

Day one of the event offers up perhaps the most eagerly awaited fixture of all with defending champion Scotland taking on fierce rival Ireland in an ODI at Willowmoore Park in what will be a repeat of the final in 2005.

Among the teams will be Afghanistan and Uganda, which both qualified from January’s Pepsi World Cricket League Division 3 event in Buenos Aires. The WCL was created to provide a clear pathway for teams outside the top 10 towards improvement and ultimately, the ICC Cricket World Cup. This global event gives ICC Associate and Affiliate Members the opportunity to play similarly ranked sides in meaningful competition regardless of where they are located in the world.

The 12 teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier are split into two groups of six teams. Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman, Namibia and Uganda make up Group A while Kenya, Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE, Denmark and Afghanistan form Group B.

Each side plays the other teams in its group once with the top four from the groups progressing to the Super Eight stage. The teams each play four Super Eight matches against the sides they did not meet in the group stage. All points won in the groups will be carried over to the Super Eight stage apart from those gained against the bottom two from each group.

The top two teams in the Super Eight stage will contest the final to be played at Centurion on 19 April. The third and fourth-placed sides will play-off at Potchefstroom, the fifth and sixth-placed sides play off at Willowmoore Park while the seventh and eighth-placed teams play off at Stan Friedman Oval, Krugersdorp.

The top four sides at the event qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. The top six teams secure ODI status until 2013 and also qualify automatically for the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2009-10.

The bottom two teams from the CWCQ, which incorporates Divisions 1 and 2 of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League, will be relegated to Division 3.

Note to reporters and editors: the process of media accreditation for the event is now closed. If you require accreditation and still have not applied please email lucy.benjamin@icc-cricket.com immediately.