Namibia to host South Africa in historic T20I at new FNB Stadium

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Windhoek, May 27 (IANS) Namibia will host South Africa’s men’s team for a historic T20 International on October 11, 2025. The match, set to be played in Windhoek, will also mark the official inauguration of the FNB Namibia Cricket Ground (FNB NCG) — the country’s newest and most advanced cricket facility.

This will be the first-ever international match between the Namibian Eagles and the South African Proteas, and it promises to be a celebration of sport and continental unity.

Under construction since 2021, it will serve as the home of the national high-performance centre and will host matches during the 2026 ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup and the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, where Namibia will co-host alongside Zimbabwe and South Africa.

By the time the historic T20I against South Africa is played in October, Namibia will also have competed in the Africa T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, aiming for a spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Notably, Namibia has featured in the last three T20 World Cups, including a famous win over Sri Lanka in 2022.

Cricket Namibia CEO Johan Muller described the upcoming match and stadium opening as a dream come true. “The FNB NCG has been four years in the making, and we’re thrilled to finally unveil it on such a grand stage. Playing against our neighbours, one of the world’s leading cricket nations, makes the occasion even more special,” he said.

Muller also extended his gratitude to Cricket South Africa (CSA) and its CEO, Pholetsi Moseki, for their support in bringing this fixture to life. Moseki responded in kind, praising Namibia’s recent progress on the field and reaffirming CSA’s commitment to fostering the growth of cricket across the continent.

“We’re proud to be part of this historic moment,” Moseki said. “This match is more than just a game — it’s a celebration of African cricket’s rising strength and a preview of what’s to come as we prepare to co-host the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup.”

–IANS

hs/bsk/

Related Posts

5th T20I: It’s high-risk, high-reward game, we are getting the results, says Surya after India’s big win

Mumbai, Feb 2 (IANS) India captain Suryakumar Yadav was elated by the sensational batting by opener Abhishek Sharma in the fifth T20I and brilliant bowling by Varun Chakravarthy in the series and termed it a byproduct of his team’s high-risk, high-reward style of play that resulted in a 4-1 victory against England in the five-match series.

With Abhishek Sharma hammering a 54-ball 135 to help the hosts post a massive 247/9 and Mohammed Shami claiming 3-25 to help bundle out England for 87, India handed the visitors a 150-run thrashing, securing their second-highest victory by a run margin.

While England at no time looked capable of chasing the massive target, Surya threw the ball to part-timers Shivam Dube and Abhishek Sharma, both of who claimed a couple of wickets to hasten England’s demise.

Suryakumar said one has to be a bit instinctive on the ground as a T20 captain and the success of Abhishek, Shivam, and Varun Chakravarthy sit well with India’s no-holds-barred style of play.

“It’s always about being a little instinctive on the ground, whoever you feel might do something, throw them the ball. This is what we’ve sat down and spoken about, what brand of cricket we want to play, and we want to keep sticking to it. It’s a high-risk, high-reward game, but at the end of the day, we’re getting the results,” said SKY in the post-match presentation ceremony at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

As Punjab left-hander Abhishek Sharma hammered a scintillating century, the second fasted by an Indian in T20Is, with his family watching from the stands, Surya said he was happy that the batter did well in front of his family.

“I’m very happy for his family as well, they must have enjoyed his innings. It was great,” said SKY.

The India captain also praised mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy who emerged as the most successful bowler in this series with 14 wickets in 14 wickets in five innings. Surya said the spinner from Tamil Nadu has been working hard on his fielding and the results are evident.

“He’s been relentlessly working hard with our fielding coach Dilip sir, whenever he gets time in our practice sessions. Today he put his hand up and said he wants to field in the outfield, and you saw the results. He’s a process-oriented man [with the ball], always wants to work on something new,” said the India captain as India, the reigning World Champions, maintained their dominance in T20I cricket.

–IANS

bsk/

Indian Open squash: Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh storm into finals

Mumbai, March 27 (IANS) India’s top players, Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh, put in memorable performances in the semifinals of the Indian Open squash tournament and booked their berths in the finals at the Bombay Gymkhana here on Thursday.

In what is India’s first-ever PSA Squash Copper tournament, the duo played their semifinals in an outdoor glass court on the lawns of Bombay Gymkhana, giving the fans a unique viewing experience.

India’s newest squash sensation, Anahat Singh, was up against the veteran Joshna Chinappa in the first semifinal of the day, and along expected lines, it was a tightly contested game.

While Anahat started brightly, winning the first set at a canter, the experienced Chinappa then took control after that. The 38-year-old used all her experience to bring things to level pegging at 1-1, but after that, Anahat, who is supported by JSW, went through the gears. She used the angles on the court to her advantage and rattled off the next two sets to win the game in 32 minutes. Anahat won with a scoreline of 3-1 (11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6) and sealed her spot in the final.

In the second semifinal of the day, the first in the men’s draw, India’s Abhay Singh had to dig deep against his Egyptian opponent Karim El Hammamy.

Abhay started with a flurry of quick points and the momentum on his side, as he went on to win the first two sets with relative ease. However, Karim took the next set in what was turning out to be a fiery contest. After that, though, Abhay stormed through the fourth set and registered a comfortable win in 55 minutes. Abhay won the contest 3-1 (11-4, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6).

On Wednesday, Anahat Singh, Joshna Chinappa and Abhay Singh lit up the evening sky at the Bombay Gymkhana on their way to securing their spots in the semifinals.

Anahat Singh defeated Egyptian Nadien Elhammamy, winning 3-2, while Joshna Chinappa got the better of the top seed Akanksha Salunkhe, winning 3-2 (12-10, 13-11, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5). In the men’s draw, Abhay Singh overcame Malaysian Ameeshenraj Chandaran in the quarterfinals, romping over the line and into the semifinals with a 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-7) win in 34 minutes.

–IANS

bsk/