The hotel clerk tried to make conversation, no doubt to take the edge off the mild annoyance of a guest who had had to come all the way to the front desk to fetch a laundry list and bag. And go back to the clerk, bulging bag in hand.
“Is this an every day thing, this competition,” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Sometimes there are two or even three matches a day.”
“Three? Really? And the games last three to four hours, right?”
“Yes. Some matches go on for five days, but not in this tournament.”
With that she almost dropped the laundry bag the guest had handed her. A single match that lasts five days! Imagine that!
Not long after this exchange in Windhoek on Sunday, West Indies and Afghanistan took the field at the High Performance Oval (HPO) for their match in the men’s under-19 World Cup.
The journey to the ground means turning left into Tennis Street, right into Softball Street – where a road sign telling drivers “caution runners” looms – right into Rugby Street, and left into Netball Street. Cricket does indeed have its own street, but that’s on the other side of the grounds.
Yes, grounds. The HPO – which is really an oval, in the lovely, languid, lowkey, village green sense, replete with trees and gazebos – adjoins the Namibia Cricket Ground, which despite its name is more of a stadium. The two venues resemble a Venn diagram in which the circles do not quite overlap. Instead they are separated only by paved walkways from bumping against each other.
This, in the centre of the Namibian capital’s sport infrastructure – the suburb is called Olympia – is the centre of Namibian cricket. And, if there is a facilities competition here between Namibia’s sporting codes, cricket is winning.
Despite the street names, it’s difficult to see any sign of tennis or netball courts or softball diamonds. A grim concrete rugby stadium does indeed scud lowly into the sky, as does the decrepit-looking Independence Stadium – the home of Namibian football – across the street. But you can’t miss the green, gleaming splendour of the cricket grounds.
The HPO, where cricket has been played since 1959, was previously called Doc Jubber. The pitch used to be concrete and the outfield was covered in gravel. It is now an ICC-accredited venue that hosted 10 games in the women’s T20 World Cup Africa qualifier in August and September last year. By the time the under-19 World Cup moves on from Namibia, another eight matches will have been added to the HPO’s international record. Along with another eight at the NGC.
The latter, where building began in 2024, was inaugurated as a senior international venue by the men’s white-ball teams of Namibia and Canada in March 2025. Its most famous match so far, and doubtless for decades to come, was the men’s T20I between the home side and South Africa in October last year.
So much so that official Cricket Namibia vehicles still sport “Eagles v Proteas” stickers. Why, considering the game was played more than three months ago? Because the Namibians won.
And how – by four wickets, off the last ball. Zane Green celebrated his 29th birthday by smashing Andile Simelane’s low full toss through midwicket for four to seal the victory. The sold-out crowd of around 5,000 were in full party mode long before any of the players left the field. If you listen carefully, you can still hear the locals wincing through the remnants of their hangover headaches from that day. Because this place isn’t scared of a beer.
Afghanistan beat West Indies comprehensively. ©Getty
It’s also a place that has an interesting relationship with South Africa. It was a colony called German South West Africa from 1884 to 1915, when it became simply South West Africa. But it didn’t become its own country then. Instead it was re-colonised by South Africa, which sent its largely conscripted military there to violently oppose the Namibians’ bid for freedom, and stop the spread of communism at the Angolan border while they were at it. The futile low-level war dragged on for 23 years, four months, two weeks and six days from 1966 to 1990.
Colonised South West Africa became independent Namibia on March 21, 1990. And has remained a stable, sensible democracy ever since. Maybe because there is space for everyone – there are but 3.1-million people sprinkled around this country of 824,300 square kilometres, which translates into 3.76 square kilometres each – tensions don’t often rise beyond manageable levels.
Maybe, also, the daily heat and nightly cold of the ancient Namib Desert to the west, which runs along the Atlantic coast from the Kunene River in the north – the border with Angola – to the Orange River in the south – where South Africa begins – and is cut almost in half by the Tropic of Capricorn, serves to focus all minds on what really matters.
And, for many, what matters isn’t cricket. People in Arsenal football jerseys abounded as the sun beat down on a busy Padel complex on Saturday’s hot afternoon. One man wore a Sharks rugby jersey and a Springbok cap. No-one was in any kind of cricket gear.
Roughly, black Namibians follow football and most of their white counterparts are interested in rugby. That is, of course, a crude and clumsy generalisation. But it has at least a veneer of truth to it. Where does that leave cricket? In the prime position of being a crossover attraction – a predominantly white game that, given on-field success and a higher profile, could command the attention of many more of those 3.1-million Namibians. More than 97% of them are black or brown.
Beating big brothers South Africa at the handsome new home of Namibian cricket was a perfect example of exactly what is required to launch cricket higher in the public imagination. But more examples will be needed. Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa are the only African entrants at the under-19 World Cup, and Namibia are still in the long and laborious process of qualifying for the 2027 men’s World Cup – which will be co-hosted by them, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The Namibians are currently ranked 18th in ODIs, theoretically four places off the pace it will take to earn a spot at next year’s 14-team tournament.
Thus Namibia are long shots for the World Cup. But, by the look of the HPO on Sunday, even if Namibians don’t have a home team to shout for, they will turn out. A significant few, anyway: 598 people gathered on their camping chairs under the gazebos and the trees to watch one of the under-19 World Cup’s most keenly anticipated contests. They knew the Windies, whatever their woes, are still capable of white-ball wonders, and that the rising Afghans’ ambition knows no bounds.
Khalid Ahmadzai and Osman Sadat gave Afghanistan a solid start with a stand of 86. But they slipped to 110/3 after 26 and needed Sadat and Mahboob Khan – who scored 88 and 86 and shared 77 for the fourth – to reach a defendable 262/6, in which new-ball fast bowler Jakeem Pollard and left-arm wrist spinner Vitel Lawes took three wickets each.
The West Indians came out firing with Tanez Francis, Jewel Andrew and Shamar Apple cracking five fours and two sixes inside the powerplay. But they also lost wickets, and were 50/3 after 10. Only Andrew stood firm enough, batting through seven partnerships for his 57 off 70. His towering six down the ground – one of three he hit, along with four fours – off Stanikzai in the 25th appeared to result in injury. Two spectators beyond the long-off boundary converged on the dropping ball and collided, which led to one of them being carried away from the scene in need of medical attention. Andrew’s attempt ended in the 29th when he hoisted seamer Khatir Stanikzai high into the air over the covers. Azizullah Miakill made much ground, at some speed, from the deep to take a fine catch.
Off-spinner Wahidullah Zadran shared the new ball and did the early damage, reducing the Windies to 21/3 after six. The mini-Maroons were marched out for 124 in 33.2, with bristling medium pacer Nooristani Omarzai taking 4/16 and Stanikzai and Zadran claiming three each.
All of which, that hotel clerk might be interested to know, took 15 minutes short of seven hours. Better than five days, at least.