Namibia's Teen Sensation Max Heingo Vows to Restrain India to 180 in T20 WC Clash

Namibia will come into the clash against India after losing to Netherlands by seven wickets at the same venue on Tuesday. "No, they're not going to score 250 above against us - not a chance. I'm actually going to detect that maybe if they're scoring high or they're actually going to score maybe like 180 or so. But they won't score 300 against us," Heingo told IANS in an exclusive interview on the eve of the clash.

With a sell-out crowd expected for Thursday's clash, Heingo, making his maiden T20 World Cup appearance, felt playing India in their backyard will be overwhelming yet exhilarating. In the run-up to the World Cup, Heingo also picked two wickets each in warm-up games at the BCCI CoE Ground in Bengaluru against Scotland and India A, where he dismissed Priyansh Arya and Vipraj Nigam.

"It's been really good actually. I'm just here to experience how the World Cup is being played and actually playing under the pressure of 50,000 people in the stands. It's actually my first time playing here and I'm really looking forward to executing my skills and what I've trained so far.

"For me, I will be under pressure and nervousness. But for them, they actually played a lot of games under pressure. So for me, honestly, it's going to be good. My teammates are all inspiring me and they are all trying to remove the nervousness from me, but actually it won't be removed. I'm just looking forward to executing my skills, based on what I've trained so far and come here for," he elaborated.

Heingo, who's picked two wickets in as many T20Is, also attributed Namibia's defeat to Netherlands to a single fielding lapse. "About yesterday's game, only one drop catch cost us the match. So far, we are feeling disappointed. But we're actually feeling bad because we're actually putting in our 100 percent. So we are actually proud of that, but we're just looking forward to winning the rest of the games."

Asked about how Namibia has benefited from the expertise of consultant coach Gary Kirsten, who guided India to their 2011 ODI World Cup triumph, Heingo said, "He's got a lot of experience. So it actually helps us build a team and teaches what cricket really is. I actually feel happy that he's with us and so it's all good."

He also talked about the backing from lead pacers Ruben Trumpelmann and JJ Smit. "It's actually good because I'm actually learning some experience from them, as they are the guys who played under pressure and so on. So I'm just looking forward to playing with them again and learning more from their experiences."

Heingo grew up in Walvis Bay, a port city some 300 kilometers from Namibia's capital Windhoek, where he was identified through Cricket Namibia's development programme that scouts and nurtures young talented players. Life in the township meant long walks and limited means for Heingo, who comes from a modest family background.

Born in Oshakati and raised in Oshali village in the Ohangwena region by his grandmother, Heingo was introduced to cricket as a school-going third grader, when a teacher named Quinton Hauseb visited his classroom in search of players.

Though the sport felt unfamiliar at first, Hauseb's patience and encouragement nurtured Heingo interest. Recognising his early potential, Hauseb urged him to keep practicing and was soon spotted by the development programme scouts.

He made his T20I debut against South Africa, where he dismissed captain and opener Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Now a grade 11 student at Flamingo Secondary School in Walvis Bay, Heingo balances studies with cricket training, while spending free time in the gym or playing video games.

With South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada as inspiration, especially with a striking resemblance to his smooth bowling action, Heingo's passion and raw ability to bowl fast gave him a rapid rise through the ranks. "I started playing cricket at school. There is actually proper cricket in the city, just like how it is in Windhoek - there's also proper fields," he concluded.

- IANS