New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) Cricket Namibia President Rudie van Vuuren has praised the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Chairman Jay Shah for their efforts in empowering associate nations and improving cricket infrastructure.

Eight Associate Nations -- Italy, Canada, Namibia, Nepal, the Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE, USA -- are competing at the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

"The ICC has adopted a policy of empowering associate members. Jay Shah has really brought significant change there. He was in Windhoek visiting our new stadium and how the ICC has helped us develop that facility. Now, all of a sudden, we have those high-performance facilities.

"Africa has nations like Namibia coming through because of the ICC’s backing, so that gap will become smaller and smaller. We must make use of these opportunities to showcase our talent and show the world that associate members are the future of cricket,” Van Vuuren said.

Namibia is one of the associate members of the ICC. They qualified for their first T20 World Cup in 2021 after finishing in 4th position in the 2019 qualifier; since then they have qualified for the T20 mega spectacle for the fourth consecutive time.

Last month, the ICC chief met with leaders of the Africa Cricket Association in Windhoek and emphasised the ICC's commitment to expanding cricket across Africa.

Namibia made history by hosting matches in the 2026 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup and will also host the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, marking Namibia's first time hosting World Cup games.

Last year, they hosted the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Windhoek, bringing together eight countries competing for two coveted spots at the Global Qualifier for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

--IANS

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