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1st ODI | South Africa tour of Namibia 2026 | Namibia Cricket Ground, Windhoek | 9 September 2026
Lhuan-dré Pretorius will not play a single ball of this series, ruled out with a right adductor strain the day before the tour began. That single injury reopens a batting spot that looked settled just a week ago. Matthew Breetzke steps into his place, but the bigger opportunity sits with Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi and the uncapped Hermann brothers, all building a case with one eye on a much bigger series against Australia that follows soon after this tour wraps up.
Pretorius was ruled out on September 7 with a right adductor muscle strain, ending any chance of the teenager building on a debut ODI average of 47.33 from three matches. Andile Simelane is also unavailable with a left abdominal strain, thinning out an already inexperienced batting group further.
Matthew Breetzke comes in as the direct replacement and arrives in form on his side. He is the leading run scorer in ODI cricket in 2026 with 328 runs, and he is also part of the squad named for the Australia series later this month, meaning this tour doubles as an audition for a bigger assignment.
With Pretorius gone, four names are competing for time in the middle order. Dewald Brevis has 230 runs at 28.75 in ODIs but was left out of the Australia squad, so this series is his clearest route back into selection. Tony de Zorzi carries the most experience with 705 runs at 37.10 and is already picked for Australia, meaning strong form here only strengthens his case.
Jordan Hermann has no ODI caps at all but arrives on the back of a maiden international fifty in the T20I tri-series final, backed by a List A average of 42.03. Rubin Hermann has just one ODI innings to his name but a healthy List A average of 44.69 built on six List A centuries.
| Batter | Team | ODI Average | T20I Strike Rate |
| Dewald Brevis | South Africa | 28.75 | 163.20 |
| Tony de Zorzi | South Africa | 37.10 | Limited sample |
| Jordan Hermann | South Africa | No ODI caps | 27.25 average |
| Rubin Hermann | South Africa | 1.00 | 22.85 average |
| Matthew Breetzke | South Africa | Not yet recorded here | Leading 2026 ODI scorer |
Neither Temba Bavuma nor Aiden Markram makes the trip, both rested ahead of a home season that includes eight Tests plus the Australia white-ball series. Bjorn Fortuin captains instead, a 31-year-old slow left-armer with 13 ODI caps and 16 wickets at 30.81, taking on his first senior captaincy assignment at any level.
Coach Shukri Conrad framed the move as squad management rather than a weakened team, pointing out the group can cover every department while giving fringe players a chance to add to their international caps. Kagiso Rabada remains out through injury, and Anrich Nortje is unselected, adding further incentive for whoever performs well against Namibia.
Namibia’s attack is built around genuine experience. Bernard Scholtz has taken 100 ODI wickets at an average of 18.89, the most reliable wicket-taker in the side, while Ruben Trumpelmann has 73 wickets at 25.45 with left-arm pace that troubles new batters early.
JJ Smit adds another left-arm option with 56 wickets at 21.16 and can also contribute with the bat, while Jan Frylinck offers both wickets and runs, having top-scored with 246 runs in a tri-series in July. All four took wickets or ran through a South African batting lineup during the T20I tri-series just last month, so this is not an inexperienced attack by any measure.
This is the first-ever bilateral men’s ODI series between these two nations, so there is no head-to-head history to lean on at all. The only previous meetings came in T20Is during the recent tri-series, where the hosts won twice without reply in six matches.
The venue itself is brand new. Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek staged its first-ever men’s ODI in April this year and will host all three matches in this series, and the Namibia vs South Africa ODI batting order question is likely to keep shifting right through to the final match on September 13.
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Who captains South Africa in the Namibia ODI series?
Bjorn Fortuin captains the side in his first senior leadership role at any level. The 31-year-old slow left-armer has 13 ODI caps and 16 wickets at an average of 30.81.
Why is Lhuan-dré Pretorius not playing against Namibia?
Pretorius was ruled out with a right adductor muscle strain confirmed on September 7. Matthew Breetzke has been brought in as his direct replacement for the series.
Why did South Africa rest Bavuma and Markram for this tour?
Both were rested to manage workload before a demanding home season. South Africa play eight Tests and three ODIs against Australia later this month.
When does the Namibia vs South Africa series start?
The first ODI is on September 9, 2026, with two more following on September 11 and 13. All three matches are played at Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek.
Where is the South Africa vs Namibia ODI series being played?
Every match is being played at Namibia Cricket Ground in Windhoek. The 7,500-capacity venue only staged its first-ever men’s ODI in April 2026.
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