Gerhard Erasmus, NAMIBIA Richelieu Eagles Captain, received a high award yesterday when he was awarded the International Cricket Council’s Men’s Associate Cricketer Of The Year award.
Erasmus had an amazing year. He was a world-class batsman and led Namibia to a thrilling victory against Sri Lanka at T20 World Cup. He also took third place in the ongoing World Cricket League Division tournament.
He was the World’s No. 1 batter in the One-Day International format for 2022, scoring 956 runs at an avg. of 56,23. He also excelled at the WCL 2 series, scoring 1 163 runs at an avg. of 48,58.
Yesterday, Erasmus said that he was thrilled to have won the award.
“I’m delighted to have been awarded the ICC Men’s Associate Cricketer of the Year award. It’s been an amazing year for me. I was an active participant in the Namibian cause. The team has many successes stories.
“I definitely have to thank my teammates as well as the coaching staff for contributing to my game,” he said.
“My most exciting moment was scoring the ODI 100 against Oman, after coming in at a tough spot and going on to win the match. I also scored more runs in T20 series against Zimbabwe, which was our first international T20 win over an entire member nation.
“That was definitely a highlight. And playing in the World Cup was also. So it was great to have had a successful year personally and also for the team,” he said.
Yesterday’s article on icc-cricket.com from the International Cricket Council (ICC) stated that Erasmus had an outstanding year and made his mark in both the 50 over and 20 over formats.
“The 27-year-old came close to amassing 1 000 ODI runs during the calendar year, a feat more impressive considering just eight of his 20 innings were in home conditions,” it said, with the article continuing:
“Erasmus made a big statement with a match-winning run of 121 against Oman in Dubai. This was to kick off his year in ODI Cricket. He went on to make eight half centuries.
“He raised his bat in Scotland, Papua New Guinea and on the League 2 trails before filling his boots on home soil with two Tri-Series.
“Erasmus also played a dozen wickets, leading Namibia to 13 wins out of 21 ODIs. He also made a late push for the Cricket World Cup League 2 race.
Erasmus continues to improve in the power game on the T20I front. He scored an unbeaten century in a home T20I series against Uganda, and then he contributed multiplely to his team’s historic T20I Series win over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
“Erasmus’s batting contributions helped their team at their second consecutive T20 World Cup Campaign. Leading his team to victory against Sri Lanka to start the campaign will be his highlight.
“As the team recovered, from 93/6 down to 163/7, Erasmus was smart in his rotation, which supported it up in a strong collaborative effort. The captain caught Dushmantha Chamela to complete the comeback victory. It was a result that shocked the world.
MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE
“Eastern managed to pull his side out of trouble against Oman at ICC Academy in Dubai in possibly the most remarkable individual performance in the Cricket World Cup League 2 cycle.
“Erasmus walked out in the tenth over with his side 34/2, but the Namibians were in a deeper hole as the left-arm pace by Bilal Khan (4/42) caused havoc.
“Bilal & Kaleemullah pulled life from the top to bring a number Erasmus’ teammates undone. The skipper had to continue with the tail at 53/7.
“A 50-run eighth wicket stand by Nicol Loftie–Eaton began the rebuild. He found a partner in number 10, Bernard Scholtz, who scored a braceful 30 runs from 52 deliveries. Erasmus brought up his half-century in 75 balls while picking up the pieces, but upped the ante in the back-end, making his maiden ODI century before finishing with 121* off 120 balls in a total of 226.
“In the field Erasmus ensured Namibia came back strong. Six of Namibia’s seven bowlers claimed wickets in Oman’s rout, which was a 110-run win.
“Erasmus was the obvious choice for Player-of-the-Match.” Additional reporting available at icccricket.com
Source: namibian
