Ruben Trumpelmann is a Namibia left-arm fast bowler born in Durban on 1 February 1998. He was 28 on 30 August 2026. His record includes 83 wickets from 56 ODIs through July 2026, two ODI five-wicket hauls and the unforgettable three-wicket opening over against Scotland at the 2021 T20 World Cup. He took 4/21 against Oman at the 2024 World Cup, helped Namibia beat South Africa in 2025 and 2026, and won the 2025 Nepal Premier League as Lumbini Lions' Player of the Tournament before re-signing for their title defence.
Date of birth1 February 1998Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Batting styleRight-handed
Bowling styleLeft-arm fast
Career overview
Ruben Trumpelmann cricket career
Born on 1 February 1998 in Durban; age 28 on 30 August 2026.
Right-handed batter and left-arm fast bowler for Namibia.
Took 83 wickets from 56 ODIs through 31 July 2026.
Removed three Scotland batters in the opening over of a 2021 T20 World Cup win.
Took 4/21 against Oman at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Won the 2025 Nepal Premier League with Lumbini Lions and was Player of the Tournament.
Career story
Ruben Trumpelmann career and playing journey
01
Who is Ruben Trumpelmann?
Ruben Trumpelmann is a South African-born Namibia international whose left-arm pace is most dangerous with a new white ball. He attacks the stumps from over the wicket, can swing the ball into right-handed batters and has repeatedly taken early wickets in major tournament matches.
His career is broader than one famous opening over. Two ODI five-fors, a four-wicket World Cup spell against Oman, useful lower-order batting, franchise cricket and a Player of the Tournament campaign with Lumbini Lions show a bowler who has contributed across formats and roles.
02
Ruben Trumpelmann's age, full name and birthplace
Ruben Christian Trumpelmann was born on 1 February 1998 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was 28 years old on 30 August 2026. ICC and CricketArchive agree on his date of birth, batting hand and left-arm fast bowling style.
He grew up in Pretoria and attended Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool before studying at the University of Pretoria. Those South African roots explain his early Northerns career, while his father's birth in Windhoek later provided the family connection behind his eligibility for Namibia.
03
A competitive South African cricket education
Trumpelmann has described South African cricket as an environment in which players must improve constantly because competition for places is intense. He played school, university and provincial cricket before choosing a full-time route with Namibia.
He made his List A debut for Northerns against Free State on 12 November 2017 and his first-class debut later that month. His T20 debut followed in the 2018 Africa T20 Cup, giving him senior experience in all three domestic formats before his Namibia international debut.
04
Leading Northerns' first-class attack
The 2018/19 CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup supplied his first sustained senior bowling achievement. Trumpelmann took 23 wickets in eight matches for Northerns, finishing as the team's leading wicket-taker in the competition.
That season does not sit inside his Namibia international totals. It belongs to South African domestic first-class cricket and shows the early workload behind his reputation as a specialist bowler rather than a batter who happened to deliver occasional overs.
05
Why he chose Namibia
Trumpelmann qualified for Namibia because his father was born in Windhoek. In a 2021 interview he explained that former Namibia coach Albie Morkel raised the possibility when their paths crossed after a university competition in Dubai.
The decision required more than filling out a team form. During the pandemic he spent months in Namibia while his passport process was delayed, away from his family and the South African structure he knew. By 2021 he had committed to Namibia's programme and was competing for a World Cup place.
06
T20I debut and the 2021 World Cup squad
Trumpelmann made his T20 International debut against the United Arab Emirates on 5 October 2021. Namibia then selected him for its first men's T20 World Cup campaign, where left-arm pace added a different new-ball angle to an attack containing JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck and David Wiese.
Selection did not guarantee a historic tournament. Namibia first had to progress from the opening round, then faced stronger Full Member teams in the Super 12 stage. Trumpelmann's best individual moment arrived in the match that gave Namibia its first Super 12 victory.
07
Three wickets in the opening over against Scotland
Trumpelmann reduced Scotland to 2/3 in the first over at Abu Dhabi on 27 October 2021. George Munsey chopped the first ball onto his stumps, Calum MacLeod edged behind and acting captain Richie Berrington was trapped lbw. All three batters were dismissed for ducks.
He finished with 3/17 from four overs and was Player of the Match. Scotland recovered to 109/8, but Namibia chased the target with five balls remaining. The spell mattered because it shaped a close team win, not simply because three wickets happened to fit inside six deliveries.
08
What made the Scotland over effective?
The over combined a full attacking length, late movement and a line that forced right-handed batters to protect their stumps. Munsey's dismissal came from pace and proximity to the body, while the MacLeod and Berrington wickets showed the threat of the ball moving back into the right-hander.
Trumpelmann later explained that execution mattered more than carrying a long list of variations. That principle still describes his strongest role: create pressure with repeatable new-ball skills, then use changes of pace and angle when the ball stops swinging.
09
ODI debut against Oman
Trumpelmann made his One Day International debut against Oman in Windhoek on 26 November 2021. He entered Namibia's Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign as a new-ball bowler but also developed into a lower-order batter capable of extending an innings.
ODI cricket asks him to manage two very different phases. Early overs reward swing and an attacking field; later spells require control against set batters. His career economy of about 4.8 runs per over through July 2026 shows the value of that control across a substantial 50-over workload.
10
Five for 30 against Scotland
Trumpelmann's ODI best is 5/30. He reached that mark against Scotland at Kirtipur on 20 February 2023, taking key wickets as Namibia dismissed Scotland for 221 before losing a low-scoring chase.
A five-wicket haul remains an individual bowling achievement even when the team loses. It should not be described as a match-winning performance, and it is already included within his career total of 83 ODI wickets rather than added as a separate set of wickets.
11
Two ODI five-wicket hauls
The current 56-match ODI record contains two five-wicket innings and two four-wicket innings, with 5/30 the best return. Those figures demonstrate repeat wicket-taking performances rather than one isolated statistical spike.
The total also needs a date. Trumpelmann had 73 wickets after 49 ODIs in the October 2025 snapshot, but his 2026 matches lifted that record to 83 wickets from 56 games by 31 July. An undated total would now understate his career.
12
Ruben Trumpelmann's ODI statistics
Through the Netherlands match on 31 July 2026, Trumpelmann had played 56 ODIs and taken 83 wickets. The reviewed aggregate records 2,654 balls, 2,135 runs conceded, a bowling average of 25.72, an economy rate of 4.83 and a strike rate of 31.98.
His best bowling remains 5/30. A late-2025 batting snapshot recorded 532 runs and a high score of 55 not out; the current bowling total is newer, so this page labels the statistical cutoffs rather than pretending every field refreshed at the same moment.
13
The 2024 World Cup spell against Oman
Trumpelmann took 4/21 from four overs against Oman in Bridgetown on 2 June 2024. He trapped Kashyap Prajapati and Aqib Ilyas lbw with the first two balls of the match, then removed Naseem Khushi and returned for a fourth wicket near the end.
Oman were bowled out for 109, but Namibia also made 109 and needed a Super Over to win. David Wiese decided the tie-break with bat and ball. Trumpelmann's new-ball spell created the advantage; Wiese's Super Over completed the team result.
14
A second major World Cup powerplay burst
The Oman performance gave Trumpelmann another World Cup innings with at least three wickets in the powerplay. That repeated pattern is more informative than a generic claim that he is dangerous: his best tournament spells have repeatedly arrived before batters can settle.
The same tactic carries risk. Full, wicket-seeking bowling can concede boundaries when swing disappears or the yorker misses. His value comes from matching an aggressive plan to conditions rather than trying to reproduce one celebrated over in every match.
15
Beating South Africa in 2025
Namibia beat South Africa by four wickets in Windhoek on 11 October 2025, their first men's T20I victory over their neighbours. Trumpelmann took 3/28, dismissing Reeza Hendricks, Rubin Hermann and top-scorer Jason Smith as South Africa finished on 134/8.
The match opened the Namibia Cricket Ground and gave the result added local importance. Trumpelmann's wickets came against a changed South Africa side, which should be stated without diminishing the official international win or the quality of his spell.
16
The 2026 T20 World Cup
ICC selected Trumpelmann in Namibia's squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup, his fourth consecutive appearance in the national squad for the global tournament. Namibia lost all four group matches, and Trumpelmann's only wicket came against the Netherlands, where he took 1/30.
That campaign was below the standard of his 2021 and 2024 highlights. A complete career account should show the difficult tournament as well as the best spells, because selection history and isolated highlights do not prove consistent results in every edition.
17
Three for 24 against South Africa in 2026
Trumpelmann took 3/24 from four overs against South Africa in Windhoek on 28 August 2026. Namibia defended 161/6 by restricting South Africa to 143/9, winning the opening T20I tri-series match by 18 runs.
He shared the main bowling work with JJ Smit, who also took three wickets. The result was Namibia's second T20I win over South Africa in consecutive meetings and provided a strong response after a difficult World Cup earlier in the year.
18
Ruben Trumpelmann's current T20I record
After the 3/24 spell, Trumpelmann's T20I record stood at 55 matches and 57 wickets, with a bowling average of 25.28 and best figures of 4/21. His established batting high score remains 46.
The 2026 sequence shows mixed returns: one wicket across four World Cup matches, two wickets in three April matches against Scotland, two in a June tri-series and then three against South Africa in August. The most recent performance was excellent, but it does not erase the leaner spells before it.
19
Lower-order batting value
Trumpelmann is a bowler first, yet he can produce useful runs against older balls and defensive fields. His ODI record includes two fifties and a high score of 55 not out, while his T20I high score is 46.
Those innings do not make him a batting all-rounder. They make a specialist fast bowler less predictable at numbers eight or nine, especially when he can clear the boundary and extend a partnership after the recognized batters have been dismissed.
20
Lumbini Lions and the 2025 Nepal Premier League
Trumpelmann joined Lumbini Lions for the 2025 Nepal Premier League and played all 10 matches in their championship season. He took 15 wickets at an economy rate of 6.72 and was named Player of the Tournament.
The franchise's season record also highlights lower-order batting, including an unbeaten 29 from 14 balls against Karnali Yaks. Tournament figures belong to the wider T20 record and must not be added to his 57 T20I wickets, because NPL matches are domestic franchise games.
21
Three for three in the NPL final
Lumbini Lions dismissed Sudurpaschim Royals for 85 in the 2025 final. Trumpelmann took 3/3 from 2.1 overs, while Sher Malla also took three wickets and Rohit Paudel claimed a hat-trick.
Lumbini chased the target in nine overs and won by six wickets. Trumpelmann was Player of the Match as well as Player of the Tournament, but the final was a shared bowling performance rather than a one-man result.
22
Re-signing for Lumbini's title defence
Lumbini Lions re-signed Trumpelmann in July 2026 as their first overseas player for the next Nepal Premier League season. The move followed his 15-wicket title campaign and keeps the same player connected to the same franchise without creating a duplicate profile.
A signing confirms squad membership, not a guaranteed playing XI place or repeat award. Availability, appearances and new-season statistics still depend on the final schedule, registration rules and completed scorecards.
23
Other franchise and domestic teams
Trumpelmann's career has included Northerns, KwaZulu-Natal Inland, Vancouver Knights and other short-format teams in addition to Namibia and Lumbini Lions. Each association belongs to a particular season and competition.
A long team list can become misleading when old and current memberships are mixed together. Lumbini is the latest confirmed franchise relationship in this update, while Namibia remains his international team.
24
Ruben Trumpelmann's records and achievements
His leading individual achievements are two ODI five-wicket hauls, 5/30 as his ODI best, 4/21 as his T20I best, the three-wicket opening over against Scotland and Player of the Tournament in the 2025 Nepal Premier League.
Team achievements include Namibia's first 2021 Super 12 win, the 2024 Super Over victory against Oman, consecutive T20I wins over South Africa in 2025 and 2026, and Lumbini Lions' 2025 NPL title. Team and individual honours are related but not interchangeable.
Ruben Trumpelmann records
Ruben Trumpelmann career statistics and records
Batting, bowling and fielding figures are kept separate by competition and format.
ODI bowling through 31 July 202656matches
Batting
High score
55*
100s / 50s
0/2
Bowling & fielding
Innings
54
Wickets
83
Best bowling
5/30
Average
25.72
Economy
4.83
Strike rate
31.98
Balls
2,654
5w / 10w
2/0
Only fields published by the named source are shown; unavailable values are not guessed.
T20I through 28 August 202655matches
Batting
Runs
316
High score
46
100s / 50s
0/0
Bowling & fielding
Wickets
57
Best bowling
4/21
Average
25.28
5w / 10w
0/0
Only fields published by the named source are shown; unavailable values are not guessed.
First-class snapshot to 12 October 202517matches
Batting
Runs
345
High score
73
Average
20.29
100s / 50s
0/2
Bowling & fielding
Wickets
41
Best bowling
4/27
Average
24.75
Balls
1,944
Catches / stumpings
5
5w / 10w
0/0
Only fields published by the named source are shown; unavailable values are not guessed.
List A snapshot to 12 October 202562matches
Batting
Runs
702
High score
67
Average
17.55
100s / 50s
0/4
Bowling & fielding
Wickets
86
Best bowling
5/30
Average
27.40
Balls
2,939
Catches / stumpings
20
5w / 10w
2/0
Only fields published by the named source are shown; unavailable values are not guessed.
Career chronology
Debut and last listed match
South African domestic
Debut
List A debut for Northerns on 12 November 2017
Last listed match
Senior Northerns and later KwaZulu-Natal Inland experience
Namibia T20I
Debut
Against United Arab Emirates on 5 October 2021
Last listed match
3/24 against South Africa on 28 August 2026
Namibia ODI
Debut
Against Oman on 26 November 2021
Last listed match
56-match record through 31 July 2026
Lumbini Lions
Debut
Nepal Premier League champion in 2025
Last listed match
Re-signed for the 2026 title defence
Career achievements
Career achievements and milestones
Took 83 wickets from 56 ODIs through July 2026.
Dismissed three Scotland batters in the opening over of a 2021 World Cup win.
Took 4/21 against Oman at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Helped Namibia beat South Africa with 3/28 in 2025 and 3/24 in 2026.
Took 15 wickets and won Player of the Tournament in Lumbini Lions' 2025 NPL title season.
Returned 3/3 in the 2025 Nepal Premier League final.
Reader questions
Ruben Trumpelmann FAQ
How old is Ruben Trumpelmann?
He was born on 1 February 1998 and was 28 years old on 30 August 2026.
Where was Ruben Trumpelmann born?
He was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and later qualified for Namibia through his Windhoek-born father.
What is Ruben Trumpelmann's full name?
His full name is Ruben Christian Trumpelmann.
What is Ruben Trumpelmann's bowling style?
He is a left-arm fast bowler and bats right-handed.
How many ODI wickets has Ruben Trumpelmann taken?
He had 83 wickets from 56 ODIs through Namibia's match against the Netherlands on 31 July 2026.
What are Ruben Trumpelmann's best ODI bowling figures?
His ODI best is 5/30 against Scotland at Kirtipur in February 2023.
What are Ruben Trumpelmann's best T20I bowling figures?
His T20I best is 4/21 against Oman at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Did Ruben Trumpelmann take three wickets in one over?
Yes. He dismissed George Munsey, Calum MacLeod and Richie Berrington in the opening over against Scotland at the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Which Nepal Premier League team does Ruben Trumpelmann play for?
Lumbini Lions re-signed him for their 2026 title defence after he helped them win the 2025 tournament.
What is Ruben Trumpelmann's net worth?
No audited public source establishes his net worth, salary or total earnings, so speculative estimates are excluded.
Conclusion
Ruben Trumpelmann's career is defined by new-ball impact: three wickets in the opening over against Scotland, first-ball breakthroughs against Oman and two decisive spells against South Africa. The current record of 83 ODI wickets also shows sustained value beyond those headline T20 moments.
His 2025 NPL title, Player of the Tournament award and re-signing by Lumbini Lions add a strong franchise chapter. Future numbers will change with new matches, but his identity, format boundaries and documented achievements remain clear without relying on private-life or wealth speculation.
