Taibu lines up for Namibia

Tatenda is now wearing the colours of Namibia rather than Zimbabwe © Getty Images

Tatenda Taibu, the former Zimbabwe captain, has made his debut for Namibia in the SAA Provincial Cup match against Limpopo in Windhoek.

In recent weeks there has been speculation about Taibu's playing future after an attempt to forge a career in South Africa hit problems. Discussions with Namibia have been ongoing for a couple of weeks and a few days ago the final parts of the agreement were confirmed.

Francoise Erasmus, a spokesman for the team, told Cricinfo: "He will be with our squad for the remainder of the season. It is something we have been discussing for a while and Tatenda seems very excited by the situation.

"His wife is moving over the join him next week and we are keen to make it a long term arrangement. It would be terrific to have someone of his quality."

However, any thoughts of an international return will still have to wait. Erasmus confirmed there are a number of ways Taibu could try and qualify, but it would take five years of living in Namibia for him to qualify to play international tournaments.

Namibia are part of the SAA provincial Cup as an invitational side so the same qualification rules don't apply meaning Taibu is eligible to slot straight into the team, a situation that has been agreed by Cricket South Africa. Taibu started with 21, batting at No.3, as Namibia eased to a 168-run win.