Source: The Namibian Newspaper
NAMIBIAN cricket captain Gerhard Erasmus has reached some remarkable milestones both as a player and a leader of his country.
In 2011 he became the youngest player to represent Namibia at the age of 16 against Ireland, and since then he has gone on to play more than 100 matches for Namibia in the various formats of the game, scoring more than 4 000 runs, with a highest score of 192 against Kwazulu Natal Inland.
Last year he became Namibia’s second youngest national captain (after Danie Keulder) at the age of 24 and led them to victory at the World Cricket League Division 2 trophy in Windhoek in April where they also won One Day International status for the first time in 16 years.
Six months later he led Namibia to even greater heights at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in UAE where Namibia came fourth to qualify for the 2020 T20 World Cup, while he also won the Player of the Tournament award.
Erasmus shared some of the highs and lows of his career so far.
Who was your sport hero as a child?
AB de Villiers. I likened my game to his. He plays amazing shots with great variety; he is known for his energy and hence is a great fielder. He has always had an inspiring aura, something which I like to try and replicate.
Who was the best player you ever played with?
Kyle Simmonds from my years at the University of Stellenbosch and Craig Williams for Namibia. They both have great talent, but it is their mental toughness and all-round ability that made them brilliant teammates.
Who was the best player you played against?
Roelof van der Merwe of the Netherlands comes to mind, having recently played against him in T20 cricket. He is hard as nails and a real fighter.
Who was the best coach you played under?
The current Namibian coach, Pierre de Bruyn. As a captain, a team-orientated coach like Pierre has been excellent in providing us with blueprints of leadership, culture and a proven formula to win.
What was your most memorable match?
Our most recent T20 World Cup Qualifier victory against Oman. It was a real up-and-down tournament. I performed well throughout the tournament
And our win against Oman was extra special since we had lost to them in the previous qualifying tournament.
What was the highlight of your career?
Personally it has to be my Player of the Tournament award in the World T20 qualifier. As captain it has to be the year 2019 – captaining Namibia to ODI status and T20 qualification in the same year.
And the lowlight of your career?
Probably my days growing up in the CSA three-day competition. Being a young batsman, against tough bowlers and in tough conditions was a hard learning curve.
Name your best Namibian squad.
LP van der Westhuizen, Raymond van Schoor (wicket keeper), JP Kotze, Craig Williams, Gerrie Snyman, Nicolaas Scholtz, JJ Smit, Sarel Burger, Bernard Scholtz, Louis Klazinga and Kola Burger.
