This former Matie was born for the big moment
He made his debut for his country at the age of 15, was instrumental in Namibia’s first World Cup victory and has led the Maties Cricket team to glory on more than one occasion.
Gerhard Erasmus has been a key figure in Namibia’s success on the cricket fields of the world over the past five years.
As a student-athlete at Maties, he completed his LLB degree in a record four years despite a packed cricket schedule for both Maties and Namibia.
Gerhard (30) – a reliable middle-order batsman and handy spin bowler – is currently a professional cricketer. “Maybe later, when I can no longer play cricket for a living, I will fall back on my degree that I obtained at Stellenbosch University.”
Although Gerhard already played for Namibia’s senior team as a young teenager, he also represented his country at two u19 World Cup tournaments. He was the captain in the 2014 tournament.
He captained the national team when Namibia was granted international status for T20 and one-day internationals in 2018 and 2020 respectively. He led the Namibians in the country’s debut in the T20 World Cup in 2021. Namibia achieved victories over the Netherlands and Ireland. The victory over the Netherlands was the first match that Namibia won in a World Cup.
In the 2022 T20 World Cup, he was at the helm with the historic victory over Sri Lanka. It was a watershed year for Gerhard. He scored 956 runs in 21 one-day internationals and scored his first T20 century. For his exceptional play, he was named as the International Cricket Council’s Associate Cricketer of the Year.
So much has happened since his time at Matie, but Gerhard will never forget these four years of his life.
“Most of the time, life as a Matie student was ‘Altyd lente!” Gerhard says with a laugh.
“I will be honest, though, and add that it wasn’t always easy. There were times when you got tired. The challenge of balancing studies, cricket and friends is not easy. The first two years were especially difficult. The last two years, however, knew what I was doing!”
When he thinks back on moments at Maties, there are a few that stand out.
“I remember our first Varsity Sport cricket tournament in Potchefstroom. We played Pukke under the floodlights on Friday night. The home crowd was steadfast behind their team. Niel Botha – my best cricket friend at the time – and I were in front of the wickets. With the Super over, where every run counts as two, I hit a six. It was nice to share that moment with Niel and then with the rest of the team.”
Gerhard completed his articles in law in 2019. It was also the same year that he began his career as a professional player.
“Cricket is very good for me and my family. I play regularly. I play four times a year for Namibia and then there are various tournaments worldwide. I am currently playing in Canada, America and Dubai. I am privileged that my work takes me all over the world. This is my career. I may have to fall back on my degree one day.”
When it comes to standout moments in his career so far, Gerhard doesn’t have to look any further than this year’s victory over the Proteas in Windhoek.
“We played in a new stadium, in front of our home crowd. It was six years of work that culminated on that day. I can’t describe the moment properly. That day meant an incredible amount to cricket in Namibia and of course to me as captain of the team. It was a team with players who had all played for South Africa before, so it was a particularly special victory.”
According to Gerhard, it was a privilege to be a student athlete at Stellenbosch University.
“Stellenbosch offers you a bit of everything. Here you have access to world-class facilities and coaches who give you the opportunity to experience sport at a professional level, the environment you live in is indescribable and then there is all the tradition that goes with being a Matie.”
