Christoffel "Christi" Viljoen (born 28 September 1987) is a former cricketer who played for the Namibia national team. He played as a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He also played for Otago in New Zealand domestic cricket.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christoffel Viljoen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 September 1987 Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| ODI debut (cap 24) | 27 April 2019 v Oman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 17 September 2019 v United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 11) | 20 May 2019 v Ghana | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 2 November 2019 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015/16–2018/19 | Otago | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 6 July 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
Viljoen made his first-class debut for Namibia in the CSA Provincial Three-Day Challenge competition held in South Africa on 21 January 2010 against KwaZulu-Natal.[2] He also made his T20 debut (along with 9 other players in Namibia) against Zimbabwe on 13 February 2010. Opening the bowling with Louis Klazinga, Viljoen took a single wicket (that of Sikandar Raza) for seven runs.[3] He played six matches in the tournament, scoring 61 runs from three innings with a highest of 41,[4] and took six wickets at an average of 16.83.[5]
After experimenting with a two-division format the International Cricket Council decided that the 2011–13 ICC Intercontinental Cup would feature eight teams, including Namibia who were previously in the Shield competition, playing first-class cricket.[6] Namibia played their opening fixture of the Cup in September. Batting at number three Viljoen scored a four-ball duck in the first innings but in the second managed 87 from 136 balls, in the process passing 500 first-class runs in his career and beating his previous highest score in the format.[7]
A side made up of some of the leading players from Associate and Affiliate teams was put together to face England in Dubai in January 2012. The three-day match was part of England's preparation for a series against Pakistan later that month. Along with Craig Williams, Viljoen was one of two Namibia players included in the 12-man squad.[8] Coming in to bat at 90/6, Viljoen top-scored with 98 runs from 189 balls against a bowling line-up including James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, and Graeme Swann.[9]
The UAE hosted the 2012 World Twenty20 Qualifier in March. Namibia progressed to the preliminary finals where they lost to Ireland.[10] With 14 wickets from 9 matches, Viljoen was Namibia's leading wicket-taker in the tournament (equal fourth overall),[11] and scored 48 runs from 5 innings.[12] Shortly after the tournament concluded, Namibia hosted Canada in the Intercontinental Cup. Namibia won by eight wickets and in the second innings Viljoen finished with career-best bowling figures of 7/61.[13]
In January 2018, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament.[14]
He was the joint-leading wicket-taker for Otago in the 2018–19 Super Smash, with thirteen dismissals in seven matches.[15]
In March 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament.[16] Namibia finished in the top four places in the tournament, therefore gaining One Day International (ODI) status.[17] Viljoen made his ODI debut for Namibia on 27 April 2019, against Oman, in the tournament's final.[18]
In May 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier tournament in Uganda.[19][20] He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Namibia against Ghana on 20 May 2019.[21] In Namibia's third match of the tournament, against Botswana, Viljoen took his first five-wicket haul in a T20I match, finishing with figures of five wickets for nine runs from his four overs.[22][23] He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Regional Finals, with nine dismissals in three matches.[24] However, following the conclusion of the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Viljoen for four matches, after he breached the ICC's Anti-Racism Code during the match against Uganda.[25]
In June 2019, he was one of twenty-five cricketers to be named in Cricket Namibia's Elite Men's Squad ahead of the 2019–20 international season.[26][27] In September 2019, he was named in Namibia's squad for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament in the United Arab Emirates.[28] Ahead of the tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named him as the player to watch in Namibia's squad.[29]