Namibia T20I Tri-Series Squads Named as Fortuin Leads South Africa

The Namibia T20I tri-series begins in Windhoek on 28 August, and all three squads are now confirmed. South Africa will be led by Bjorn Fortuin in his first assignment as international captain. Sikandar Raza takes Zimbabwe. Gerhard Erasmus captains the hosts.

Seven matches run to 6 September at the Namibia Cricket Ground. Each side meets the other two twice. The top two on the table contest the final. A three-match ODI series between Namibia and South Africa follows from 9 September. That hands the hosts a month of home international cricket against Full Member opposition.

Fortuin steps up for South Africa

Fortuin is a left-arm spinner. He has captained the Lions in domestic cricket, but this is his first time leading South Africa. Head coach Shukri Conrad said: "Bjorn is an experienced player and proven leader who has successfully captained the Lions, and we have every confidence in his ability to lead this group."

The squad leans young. Dewald Brevis, Kwena Maphaka and Lhuan-dre Pretorius carry the batting and the pace. Tony de Zorzi and Prenelan Subrayen add senior cover. Several members are uncapped at international level. Jason Smith was named in the touring party but has been ruled out of the tri-series itself, according to the ICC.

Cremer returns from injury

Zimbabwe have recalled Graeme Cremer. The spinner missed the home series against Bangladesh and India with a left-arm injury. He comes back into a 15-player group under Raza. Kundai Matigimu, who has one Test cap, is also included.

Two fast bowlers remain unavailable. Richard Ngarava is still recovering from a lower-back problem. Tanaka Chivanga underwent Achilles tendon surgery after a training incident, the ICC reported. That leaves Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans to carry the seam attack. Wellington Masakadza and Cremer share the spin.

An experienced Namibian core

Erasmus leads a 16-player Namibia squad. Several of his players have passed 100 appearances across formats. Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz and Jan-Nicol Loftie-Eaton all return. Zane Green and Michael van Lingen give the top order continuity.

Junior Taanyanda is the one to watch. The 21-year-old made his T20I debut in June. He was the leading run-scorer in Namibia's previous tri-series, per the ICC. Craig Williams remains head coach. Former South Africa all-rounder Justin Kemp was appointed head of cricket in June.

Seven matches in ten days

The published schedule runs as follows:

• 28 August: Namibia v South Africa
• 29 August: South Africa v Zimbabwe
• 31 August: Namibia v Zimbabwe
• 1 September: Zimbabwe v South Africa
• 3 September: Namibia v Zimbabwe
• 4 September: Namibia v South Africa
• 6 September: Final

Namibia play four of the six group games. That is an unusual load for a host. It hands Erasmus twice as much cricket against Full Member sides as a standard bilateral visit would.

The three squads in full

• Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Michael van Lingen, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Jack Brassell, Max Heingo, Alex Busing-Volschenk, Junior Taanyanda, Jan-Nicol Loftie-Eaton, JC Balt, Waldo Smith
• South Africa: Bjorn Fortuin (c), Eathan Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Connor Esterhuizen, Jordan Hermann, Rubin Hermann, Duan Jansen, Kwena Maphaka, Nqobani Mokoena, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Lutho Sipamla, Jason Smith, Prenelan Subrayen
• Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Innocent Kaia, Wessly Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Kundai Matigimu, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Newman Nyamhuri, Tafadzwa Tsiga

Namibia have won five of their last seven T20Is since the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup, per the ICC. The governing body frames the block as preparation for the 2027 Cricket World Cup and the 2028 Men's T20 World Cup. Windhoek now gets a month to test that record against two Test nations.