"We're ready for any of the teams," Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus's father ahead of T20 WC 2026 campaign opener

Speaking to ANI, ahead of the Namibia vs Netherlands T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage fixture, Francois Erasmus expressed excitement, praised India's hospitality, and said cricket in Namibia has grown significantly over the past five years, noting that Namibia are ready for "any of the teams" at the World Cup.

"Very excited. I think we have a good chance of winning the match. We arrived yesterday, but it's been fantastic so far. We have been well treated at the hotel, everything's good. In the last five years, cricket has grown in Namibia, and the quality of the game has picked up a lot. We are ready for any of the teams," Gerhard Erasmus's father, Francois Erasmus, said.

Namibia have only appeared in one ODI World Cup, back in 2003, where they finished at the bottom. They are now competing in their fourth consecutive T20 World Cup, following the 2021, 2022, and 2024 editions. Their best performance came in 2021, when they reached the Super 12 stage and finished 10th overall. Their most memorable win was a 55-run victory over then-Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka in the 2022 edition's first round.

Leading up to the current tournament, Namibia made headlines by defeating the 2024 T20 World Cup runners-up South Africa in October, chasing down 135 at home to win by 4 wickets.

In the T20 WC 2026 match, the Netherlands won the toss and put Namibia in to bat first.

At the toss, captain Gerhard Erasmus said that the team was feeling good ahead of the campaign opener.

"Feeling really good, our fourth consecutive World Cup," the Namibia captain said.

Namibia's playing 11 for T20 WC match agains Netherlands:

Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus(c), JJ Smit, Zane Green(w), Dylan Leicher, Ruben Trumpelmann, Willem Myburgh, Bernard Scholtz, Max Heingo. (ANI)