Family footsteps and famous friends: Zacheo van Vuuren steps forward in South Africa

By Daniel Beswick

Skimming through the squad lists at the upcoming U19 Cricket World Cup, familiar names jump out to the cricket tragics. England’s Luc Benkenstein joins two generations of his family to play elite cricket, Mohammad Nabi’s son Hassan Khan Eisakhil is set to turn out for Afghanistan, while Pakistan’s Ubaid Shah, a fast bowler in the same vein as brother Naseem, is tipped for tournament success.

As of 22 January when Namibia take on Australia though, it will be Zacheo van Vuuren to step out of the shadows.

A fast-bowling all-rounder already with a taste of senior international cricket, Zacheo is the son of Rudie, a man who boasts the unique sporting feat of representing his country at both the Cricket and Rugby World Cups in the same year, having done so in 2003.

In terms of resumes, van Vuuren senior is an overachiever even next to other overachievers, also practicing as a medical doctor while juggling his sporting double life. If that wasn't enough, he has teamed up with wife and Zacheo’s mother Marlice in running the world-renowned N/a'an ku sê, an organisation with projects ranging from conserving African wildlife, to humanitarian efforts and ecotourism, endorsed by Hollywood star Angelina Jolie among other public figures.

Players to Watch at the U19 Cricket World Cup

To top it off, Rudie has also held the role of Cricket Namibia President since 2018, and sitting down with ICC-cricket.com, the former fast bowler is itching to turn focus on to what's next: the young men, including his son, representing Namibia at an U19 Cricket World Cup.

First as a father, Rudie looks at Zacheo with immense pride. Fluent in multiple languages, including local indigenous dialects, and with a maturity belying his 18 years on the planet, van Vuuren the younger proves that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree.

“He has worked incredibly hard and he's peaking at the right time,” Rudie began, reflecting on Zacheo’s cricketing journey ahead of the tournament.

“He's making runs and he's taking wickets, he’s so incredibly excited.”

“His batting and his bowling is very good. He's gotten stronger over the years. He's worked incredibly hard on his conditioning. He's picked up a yard or two, he can swing the ball both ways. He's learned a lot on the recent tour to India in terms of bowling and batting, especially playing spin.”

Zacheo van Vuuren claimed three wickets in Namibia's warm-up match against the USA.

Zacheo has his father’s wicket in his scrapbook via club cricket, and after performing on the domestic circuit, was exposed to senior team cricket via Uganda’s recent tour used as preparation for T20 World Cup qualification. In a hard-fought series which proved invaluable for both teams who went on to punch T20 World Cup tickets for 2024, Zacheo didn’t get a chance to bat, but was thrown the ball later in proceedings.

Since then Zacheo made an impression through a five-wicket haul in a practice match against Scotland and 3/50 against the USA in official warm-up play, though van Vuuren senior feels his batting will soon match his bowling, possibly coming to a fruition at the upcoming tournament.

“I think he's a young player developing, but in my opinion, he's a real all-rounder.

“He can open the batting, he can probably open the bowling or first change as well. I think given time, he's going to mature into a really, really good cricketer. He's an incredible athlete.”

Zacheo is one of several young Namibian players to push into senior cricket, not only following his father and the rest of the 2003 pioneers, but the current generation of senior players to turn heads over the last four years. From regaining ODI status via World Cricket League 2 in 2019, to strong performances at multiple T20 World Cups, success has come from a base of a solid domestic structure, a core collection of senior players, and stability within its governing body.

Van Vuuren claiming the wicket of Michael Vaughan on the way to a five-wicket haul at Cricket World Cup 2003.

There’s pride in the president of the governing body’s voice speaking about the young group heading south of the border, looking to match their older compatriots. After blips in both 2020 and 2022 qualification for the same tournament, van Vuuren believes the current Under-19 crop are held to lofty standards, in large part by the coaching team who have been pivotal in senior success.

“I think our young men are incredibly excited. Missing out on qualification in the previous rounds (2020 and 2022), this year, qualification was a non-negotiable. 

“The hard work that they've put in and the work that has been put in by our HP (High Performance) manager Oscar Nauhaus, (senior head coach) Pierre de Bruyn, and Johan (Muller) our CEO. These young guys are ready, they're like young stallions ready to run. 

“You can just sense that there's that you know that incredible energy that they have and it's exciting to watch them.” 

To back the coaching, it hasn’t been difficult to find role models for the Namibia’s U19 class of 2024.

Noting a “brotherhood” with “incredible camaraderie”, van Vuuren was quick to point out the current senior skipper Gerhard Erasmus and other players for not only showing what can be done, but their presence in blooding the new generation.

Crowned the ICC Associate Men’s Player of the Year in 2022, Erasmus also imparts knowledge via experience as an U19 World Cup graduate, having played in both the 2012 and 2014 editions.

“Because we are such a small country, we've got such limited resources with so few cricket players, we have no other option but to pull in the same direction, and that makes us strong.

“That's the same with our men’s team, with our U19 teams, and with our women's team. That's the culture we are developing, we are all going in the same direction.

“Gerhard Erasmus has a big role to play in that.

“They've created a great culture where the senior players mentor the U19s and take the younger kids through the system.”

Namibia will feature in Group C, meeting local rivals Zimbabwe after matches against Australia and Sri Lanka. A top-three finish will take them to the Super Sixes, their first objective, though points against other progressing teams carry forward to the next phase, and would help their chances of going even further.

Captain Alex Volschenk, batter Gerhard Janse van Rensburg and England-based Jack Brassell are just a few players earmarked for success in Namibia blue, though Rudie feels it is the squad’s depth that puts them in the conversation for a deeper tournament run.

“I think the strength as a team lies in the fact that they don't have one or two outliers. They are all really good cricketers.

“As a team they perform very well because they have no superstars in their team.

“I think there's clarity around what they want to achieve. They want to qualify for the Super Sixes.”

U19 Cricket World Cup 2024 All You Need to Know

Importantly for Namibia’s chances, all Group C matches will be played at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, a second home of sorts for the team.

Not only is the trip easier for families and friends wanting to rally the troops, fans from the area around the ground have shown their love for Namibia in the past.

“The fact that the tournament has moved to South Africa has many benefits for them,” Rudie explains.

“They are familiar with the conditions. Many of the parents can go now and support them. The people in Kimberley, where they play their group stage, will support Namibia.

“They love Namibia. I've played in Kimberley many times and the food is familiar, everything is familiar to them, so it's like a home game for them, and I'm confident that they can qualify for the Super Sixes.

“They are very focused, they are very well prepared.”

As for Zacheo, the all-rounder has some extra celebrity support. Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, the daughter of Angelina and Brad Pitt, was born in Swakopmund while her family were on a conservation trip, and the pair have in several ways grown up together, being of a similar age and bound by their families’ love for nature and conservation.

“Marlice met her (Angelina) on a film set where Marlice worked with some of the animals, and they have been friends all these years,” Rudie regales.

“Shiloh was born here (in Namibia) and they are still very good friends. Just last week, we were speaking about Shiloh, myself and Zacheo.”

“So they've stayed friends and kept in touch over the years.”

Namibia’s best finish at the tournament was seventh in 2016, famously beating South Africa to progress to the Super League knockout stages, before going down to India in the quarter-finals.

All the squads named for the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup