Yasmeen Khan looking forward to putting Namibia in the spotlight

Talking to the ICC ahead of the tournament, she said: “It’s a big deal for Namibia cricket, not just for the women’s team. Putting our name on the global stage, that’s really a big deal.”

As one of the underdogs in a tournament containing two Full Member nations, Yasmeen admits that qualification for the T20 World Cup in Australia is a tough proposition. But they are still aiming for one of the two coveted spots, with an emphasis on team cohesiveness forming the backbone of their challenge for qualification.

“Obviously to qualify is the main target for us. Being the first time here, it is going to be a tall order, and reaching some individual goals will also be a big success for the team. We have a really good team culture, you can see we are a whole unit. On the field, there’s not three teams on the field. That’s definitely one of our biggest strengths.”

The team are also facing a battle to acclimatise to unfamiliar conditions, travelling from the arid climate of Windhoek to face the damp weather of Scotland. “We have a coast that is quite similar but we don’t play a lot of matches that side. We are still adapting to this kind of weather, but hopefully [the process] is going to be as quick as possible.”

Yasmeen is also looking forward to receiving support from home. “I think if everyone back home can just watch the live stream the ICC is going to do on our game against Thailand [on 1 September], I think if we know that everyone is watching, we are also going to put up a big fight. Hopefully it turns out well.”