Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus caught the eye with a stunning performance in the game against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. On a high scoring pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Erasmus picked up figures of 4/20 in his four overs. The all-rounder however came under the scanner for his bowling tricks along with his round arm action.
India were flying high in the powerplay first with Sanju Samson and then later with Ishan Kishan making merry on a batter's paradise in Delhi. The Men in Blue registered their highest powerplay score in t20 World Cup history posting 86/1 in 6 overs.
Erasmus then came into the picture to bring the Namibians back into the contest. The right-arm spinner dismissed Ishan Kishan with his first ball. The left-hander was caught in the deep trying to clear the fence. He delivered just a one run over, but not without controversy.
Erasmus was halted in his stride as he bowled from beside the umpire Rod Tucker. The Namibian captain argued it was among his variations but Tucker ruled it as a dead ball.
Bowling from behind the stumps is not illegal in t20Is and Erasmus did that to good effect later to dismiss Tilak Varma. He also dismissed Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel in a fine spell of spin bowling.
Erasmus' action has been a major talking point throughout the ICC t20 World Cup 2026. He bowls with a round arm angle, crouching and then bringing the ball in from a wide angle. The Indian batters were unhappy on a number of instances with his style of bowling.
Who is Gerhard Erasmus?
Erasmus is arguably amongst the greatest cricket players Namibia has ever produced. The 30-year-old has been part of the international side since 2019, having previously played two U19 World Cups. He was the captain in the 2014 edition, and faced off against an Australian side that featured Matthew Short. The same tournament say India play Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson.
