India’s opponents today: Doctor, inspector, broker…

Two sets of Men in Blue will take the field at Pietermaritzburg on Sunday. But that’s where the similarity ends. In sharp contrast to t...

Two sets of Men in Blue will take the field at Pietermaritzburg on Sunday. But that’s where the similarity ends. In sharp contrast to the hugely endorsed Indian cricketers, Namibia’s World Cup team is made up of modest men for whom cricket is a passion — among them a construction surveyor, a bookshop owner, an insurance broker, an inspector, a human resource student and a general practitioner — and not something that pays for every move they make on and off the field. The Sunday Express introduces you to some from the XI who will take on Ganguly and Co.:

Rudi Van Vuuren: General practitioner who loves to bowl fast. Ask England. He scalped five from the side the other day. The Doc doesn’t think Sachin and Sehwag are very intimidating. ‘‘They too have two hands, two legs like you and I. So it’s nothing that I would lose sleep over.’’

Jan-Berry Burger: Human resource student. Laughs when you tell him his 85 is four runs more than Sachin’s 81, the top Indian score so far. But Burger’s a modest man: ‘‘This was just one game that I played well. Sachin has played so many great innings.’’

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Burton Van Rooi and Lennie Loux: Burton’s a 20-year-old who loves bowling quick. His job as an insurance agent also keeps him on the fast track, always on the move from 9 to 5. His firm’s managing director Lennie Loux is also his team mate. At 43, that’s great going Loux.

Melt Van Schoor: Cricket’s a passion for this police inspector, also 43, who’s otherwise busy picking clues off the field. In many an emergency, he has had to give cricket a break. But each time he returns to stand guard. After all, he’s Namibia’s wicket-keeper.

Bjorn Kotze: Bookshop owner downs the shutters early on days he takes the field. Friends call him Bones but don’t really dig the cricket books at his shop. ‘‘There’s not much of a market,’’ sighs the man.

Douglas Brown: Namibia’s coach is a former England pace bowler who was a member of Adam Hollioake’s team that won the Sharjah ODI contest. ‘‘We usually start practising in evenings when everybody is back from work. If possible, we hold a camp just before an important event,’’ says Brown.

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