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WINDHOEK, Monday (AFP) -

Namibia's qualification for the World Cup was the stuff of cricketing romance but they will be rank outsiders when the tournament starts.

The amateur players from the under-populated nation on southern Africa's dry west coast started the 2001 ICC Trophy tournament in Canada in Division Two of the 24-team tournament but went all the way to the final.

The unheralded Namibians, whose fielding throughout the tournament was outstanding, won all their matches in Division Two.

Then they pulled off a shock win over highly-rated Bermuda to gain a place in the tournament's Super League for the top eight teams and carried on winning, gaining a crucial victory over 1999 World Cup contestants Scotland to clinch a spot in the final, where they pushed Holland to the last ball before losing by two wickets.

With only about 500 senior cricketers, Namibia's playing resources are thin but they have been able to play in South Africa's domestic competitions, initially in the lower of two divisions.

They were given promotion to the senior provincial one-day competition in the 2002/03 season to help them prepare for the World Cup.

Namibia lost all five of their matches against South African provincial teams where their bowling and fielding were impressive but their batting was a major weakness.

Their highest total in the 45-over contests was 179 against Gauteng but they could not top 124 in their remaining matches, sinking to a low of 79 against Boland.

Only one Namibian, veteran Danie Keulder, notched a half-century during the competition - he was also the country's leading scorer in the ICC Trophy.

Hopes of more competitive performances in the World Cup were raised when Namibia pulled off a surprise win in a warm-up match against Test nation Bangladesh in Windhoek in late January with young opening batsman Stefan Swanepoel making 71.

Namibia's bowling attack will be led by the medium-fast Bjorn Kotze, who took 13 wickets in five matches in South Africa. The rest of the bowling is a mix of medium pace and spin, with veteran left-arm slow bowler, Lennie Louw, 43, one of the most accurate bowlers at the disposal of skipper Deon Kotze.

Former England Test player and South African team coach Bob Woolmer, the ICC's high performance manager, has worked with the Namibians, while Warwickshire and England bowler Dougie Brown was seconded to the team as a technical adviser.

Namibia's only realistic hope of snatching a World Cup win will be when they meet Holland in their last match in Bloemfontein on March 3.

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