‘Biggest roadblock for Namibia is lack of exposure’ – Aakash Chopra throws different light on Namibia’s win against Sri Lanka
Namibia got their moment under the sun when they recorded a 55-run win against Sri Lanka in the first match of the 20-20 World Cup 2022 group stage. Namibia had got a lot of accolades from former cricketers and won among them was Akash Chopra who also heaped praise on Namibia but he had a different point of view on the win. He stated that though Namibia got a big win against the Sri Lankans it is not going to change associate cricket as the lack of exposure has highlighted the difference between the associate and the full member nations.
“While appreciating and applauding Namibian victory, please make a ‘note to self’ that you will champion the cause of associate nations once the World Cup gets over too. The biggest hurdle in their growth is the lack of exposure…which can’t happen till they get to play more”, Chopra wrote on Twitter.
“They’ll get to play against major Test teams if only the BIG teams become inclusive. It’s alright fans etc. celebrating their victories (upsets have their own sense of romanticism) but the onus of their growth isn’t in their own hands. Namibia impressed in the last T20 WC too,” added Chopra.
Give them more games: Chopra
Chopra cited the example of Afghanistan where he said that Afghanistan have played out of its skin when it comes to the World Cups, but they have not played with the big sides before the tournament or even once the tournaments have been completed. He concluded, “Give them more games. Play more tri-nation series. Involve them. If you really want the game to grow (and that’s imperative for your own growth-sustainability too), you ought to start remembering that these teams exist outside of the World Cups too.”
Namibia rode on a 70-run partnership between Jan Frylinck and David Wiese to get them to a 163 and then in the second innings, the bowlers from the African nation picked up wickets at regular intervals to bundle out the Lanka’s for just 108 on the board recording a famous win.
