ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

November 5, 2021

Stephan Baard

Sharjah Stadium

Namibia

Post Match Media Conference

New Zealand - 163/4 (20), Namibia - 111/7 (20)

Q. Tough luck today?

STEPHAN BAARD: We are all here to learn but we are letting ourselves down in certain aspects of game and certain areas, and even though we are learning we want to get it right and give ourselves a better chance. We didn't do that today. So yeah, we move on to the next game.

Q. That partnership between Phillips and Neesham seemed to be the crucial phase. Did you bowl a bit too full to them?

STEPHAN BAARD: Actually I don't think our plans were necessarily right during that period. I think that we exposed the short boundary way too much, but that will be between the bowlers and the captain and we'll have to discuss that in the team meetings, but just we exposed it and they just took full advantage.

Q. You mentioned feeling like you're here to learn. How much have you enjoyed the opportunities to play against these big teams?

STEPHAN BAARD: It's been absolutely massive. We have enjoyed every single minute of it. Like I said, we want to compete. We are here to compete but at the same time we want to learn as much as possible and see what these guys do on and off the field and even up to this point, it's been surreal.

Q. One last push against India on Monday, looking to win big and qualify are you hoping to spoil their party?

STEPHAN BAARD: Gives us the chance to play with freedom I guess but that's the big one. It's a big group and every game is a big game but to finish off with the India team, it's something to look forward to. It's something a couple of months ago, I didn't even think about, so yeah, looking forward to that one.

Q. You guys didn't seem to make -- after 47 over one, you just faded away. What happened there?

STEPHAN BAARD: I think that period of the game, there's a big window of opportunity during that period of game and they were just better during that period. They executed their skills on a pretty difficult wicket, and we lost wicket after wicket and we just couldn't keep up with the run rate; and the back end to score runs off two quality seam bowlers and some spinners as well, it's hard to do. In that period, in that crucial period they were just better than that.

Q. You said you were learning. What's the takeaway from this match?

STEPHAN BAARD: I think in the bowling front, it will definitely be executing certain plans, especially where one side of the field is a lot bigger than the other.

The big part from the batting side, probably just see how they changed and executed their back end. That's one of the things I spoke about along with the batsmen is the last four or five overs, change it up and what your options would be. Like I said, it's a learning experience. It's awesome to see and awesome to be a part of. You can just take it as it comes.

Q. How has the experience with destinations like Pakistan and India come into the play of the Namibia correct? Most of the guys haven't played against these destinational guys.

STEPHAN BAARD: I think it gives us the opportunity to sort of express ourselves a little bit more. We are used to playing in qualifiers where every game is almost like a do-or-die type of game.

Here, the intensity is so much different to what we are used to. The discipline is so much better than when we are used to, and you know, for us, it's a great learning experience. It is tough, I'll be honest about that. It is tough to learn in a short space of time in between games. You only have two or three days in between to execute your plans and to talk about different approaches to different players. At this level, it can be quite tough but it's a great experience. It's great to be a part of it, but you know, going forward, I know we are going to the World Cup next year as well, so it's something we need to work on for the next 12 months.