United pull ace out of Namibia's bag

PACEMAN: In five seasons, Christi Viljoen sits second on Namibia's all-time list of first-class wicket takers, second for Twenty 20 and third for List A.PHOTO/SUPPLIED 300115WCSUP1

THE Matt Burke Engineering Marton Saracens batsmen will look back up the pitch at an anomaly of the local club scene marking out his run-up at Centennial Park today.

Marton's local team of tradies, farmers and students will face an international professional who has plied his trade in South Africa and England, a guy who has his own Wikipedia page and detailed career statistics on ESPN's Cricinfo website.

Namibian international fast-medium bowler Christi Viljoen is making Wanganui his summer home as part of an arrangement with the Central Districts association, Active Physio Wanganui coach Rod Bannister, and the Property Brokers United club.

Born in Pretoria, the 27-year-old debuted in international cricket for Namibia about five years ago, playing first-class matches in the South African domestic competition and ICC associate-member games around the world.

"The top there is just playing for Namibia, I-Cup [ICC Intercontinental Cup], you're never going to play test cricket," Viljoen said.

"I've got to go to a place where it's possible."

He has now set his sights on a career in New Zealand and making the Central Districts Stags lineup, with an eye to following the path of fellow Pretoria native Neil Wagner into the Black Caps.

His connection with Stags coach Heinrich Malan, another former South African first-class player, made CD the obvious choice and Bannister, determined to secure the services of a leading bowler to complement the Wanganui team next summer, worked to make sure Victoria Park became his home base.

"It's just where the people are that rose to the challenge and gave me an opportunity," Viljoen said.

United came to the party by helping pay for some flights within New Zealand for Viljoen to visit loved ones, and he will now trot out for them in the one-day club competition, bringing some sorely needed pace to a side who lost key quick bowlers in the last two seasons.

These will be his first games since playing for Namibia against Kenya in November.

Viljoen hopes he may be able to break into the CD four-day team before the summer ends, but in any case he will be back in Wanganui in September and available for representative duties for at least the Chapple Cup weekend.

Over New Zealand's winter, he plays for the Blackpool club in Lancashire, competing in the Northern League competition, where one of his former opponents was retiring Stag and Black Cap Jamie How.

Having played multiple minor ICC international games, Viljoen sees first-class cricket as the most challenging format for his skill set.

He has taken 192 wickets in 59 games at an average of 25.18, including seven 5-wicket bags.

"The other two [one-day, T20] are the money makers, so I enjoy them too."

Viljoen also wishes to continue to develop his batting to evolve from a handy bowler-batsman into the complete allrounder.

He has 2153 first class runs at an average of 21.96, with nine 50s and a top score of 182 not out.

But it was his 2012 innings against the full England team in Dubai where Viljoen gained the most attention with the bat.

Playing for the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI - essentially a minor nations World XI - Viljoen entered the game with his team at 90-6 and scored 98 from 189 balls against some top-notch bowlers, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Steven Finn.

Batting with the No11 for the final wicket, Viljoen was keen to nail a century and Broad began dropping the ball in short. Viljoen thought he had put one over his head until he saw a slips fielder sprinting towards the boundary.

"Anderson took a stunner. I don't know how he did it, I was already celebrating.

"It was still as good as a 100, to get the team out of trouble."

Having flown into Wanganui on Thursday, Viljoen had his first net session that afternoon and said the team were welcoming.

When told his predecessors Andrew Cording and Jamie Whiteman were not afraid to employ a little sledging, Viljoen smiled. "I enjoy a chat, I'll weigh my options up first."