Proteas captain Donovan Ferreira wary of Namibia challenge in T20I clash in Windhoek

Proteas T20I captain Donovan Ferreira says his side won’t be taking Namibia lightly when they face the hosts in a once-off T20 International in Windhoek on Saturday.

Most of the players involved in this fixture, including Quinton de Kock, will feature in the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan later this month. As a result, Saturday’s clash carries extra weight as valuable preparation — but Ferreira insists the Proteas are firmly focused on the task at hand.

The captain said the team has done all the necessary work ahead of the match and that they owe it to themselves and the country to maintain the high standards associated with the Proteas badge.

“In terms of the Namibian team, we have an analyst who gets all the data on them, and we can just prepare as best as we can,” Ferreira told the media on Friday. “I mean, cricket is played on soil, not with numbers. It’s important for us to uphold the standards that we have as a Proteas group, and it’s important that we bring our top game because you can’t take any game lightly.

“You can’t just think you’re going to come here and win — that’s not how sport works. If you have that mentality, there might be big disappointments. So, it’s important to focus on this game and not worry about what’s going to happen against Pakistan or where we’re going to play in the future.

“Tomorrow is a big game for us, and there’s a lot at stake. It’s about being really clear on what we want to do, backing ourselves, and keeping our standards high because we owe that to ourselves and to the South Africans back home.”

The fresh-faced Proteas T20I squad will head into unfamiliar territory at the Namibia Cricket Ground, as this will be their first match at the venue.

Ferreira said the players will have to quickly assess conditions and adapt accordingly if they want to come out on top.

“To be honest, we don’t really know what to expect in terms of the pitch and what the conditions are going to be like, so I think it’s important for us to assess things really early,” he said. “Then we just need to stick to our skills, back what we have as a unit, and combat whatever they throw at us. It’s going to be an exciting day for us.”

The fixture between South Africa and Namibia is scheduled to start at 2pm.