Jack Brassell is determined to do Namibia proud after being called up to his first senior World Cup.
The 19-year-old has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past year, earning a place in the Eagles squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States after impressing at the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup , where he picked up six wickets in four matches , including three against eventual champions Australia.
That was enough to convince the selectors that he deserved a place in the squad and after making his T20I debut in March against Nepal, Brassell says he is looking forward to representing his country on the biggest stage of all.
He said: “It’s a great honor to be able to represent my country at the World Cup. It’s a bit scary but I’m very excited. I’ve worked hard to get to this position.
“There is definitely a lot of change from the youth to the senior level. You don’t get away with so many things and you have to be more consistent.
“Our coach [Pierre De Bruyn] he puts a lot of pressure on us and that helps us improve. He’s a good coach and he’s taught me a lot, he’s one of the main reasons I’m where I am today.
“Gerhard Erasmus and David Wiese also know a lot. They help us youngsters do very well. They have taught me a lot and you should always listen to what they say.
“Even if they don’t necessarily talk to you directly, you should always listen. They always have something to teach and you can learn a lot, especially us young people.”
Namibia have impressed in qualifying for the tournament, taking six wins from six in the ICC Men’s T20 Africa World Cup qualifiers and have been drawn in Group B alongside Australia, England, Oman and Scotland.
The right-armer, who is a member of Durham’s academy in the UK, is confident Namibia can cause an upset and inspire the home crowd ahead of co-hosting the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027 alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe.
He added: “I wasn’t there for the Qualifying stage but to win six out of six was a really big deal.
“He’s given us a lot of confidence and team chemistry and I think that will take us to the World Cup and keep the standards high.
“Being here at the World Cup will improve my game. It is a different level to the academy in Durham or club cricket in Namibia and the experience will be very good.
“I’m really looking forward to playing England and Australia, I think that’s going to challenge us and it’s cricket so the best team on the day will win and playing those two will be a good opportunity for us.
“Underestimation motivates us to prove people wrong and we will definitely give it our all.
“Doing well in this World Cup will benefit us. Playing well and keeping the standards high will do a lot to promote cricket in our home country of Namibia and we will all be looking forward to hosting in 2027.”