Namibia were one of the most unknown sides coming into the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup and hence they were also not expected to make it to the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
They were stacked against sides such as Ireland and Netherlands, who have been playing the format and at the world stage for a long time if they were to qualify beyond the group stages.
They did defeat both of them to advance to the main stage and when the coach Pierre de Bruyn looks back at their journey in the tournament, he is very proud of their achievements. He declared that the Namibians have exceeded what was expected of them in the competition. He added that the quality of cricket they played in the tournament against some of the best sides of the world must have left some lasting impression not only on Namibian people but also on the fans across the world.
"It's been an emotional rollercoaster for all of us. We came here with expectations but I think we exceeded that and with that the pressure mounted and these players have really announced themselves. We thought it was a cricket Namibia story for our country but it's become a global story where we've inspired not just our kids back home but globally we have won a lot of hearts," said de Bruyn.
Namibia have not won their last three games against Pakistan, New Zealand and Afghanistan but their win against Scotland, Ireland and Netherland gives a lot of moments to treasure to their coach.
De Bruyn said that they have not won too many games in the highly competitive Super 12 stage but they have not been decimated by any side either. He said that Namibia have been in the contest for as long as entire 40 overs of their games and that should give some confidence to players about their ability to compete with the best in the world.
Rating his side’s journey in the tournament as “emotional rollercoaster”, he also drew some lessons by referring to their last game against New Zealand and said that the Kane Williamson-led side had scored just 94 runs by losing four major wickets in 16 overs before they ran away with the game. He said that their bowlers have shown heart to challenge the best batsmen and have not provided an easier path for opposition to roll them over and score two easy points.
"We have played 40-overs cricket in this group, we have not been blown away by any team in 10 overs or 12 overs or anything like that. We've been willing to stretch the game and give ourselves a good chance against these top oppositions. Tomorrow's a classic game where you go in and you need to hold your own, you need to take brutal accountability for what you're going to bring to the team. It's the last little push. It's been a long tour and it's been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least,” he added.
"Facing the best in the world can be overwhelming and it's all about staying composed and this team, especially with the ball, has shown that they are willing to hold on and compete like we showed in the game against New Zealand - they were 94 for 4 after 16 overs - so the learnings for us is that we're going to treasure that, we're going to hold on hard to that because these lessons - good or bad - are only going to make you a better team and they're to make you a better player.”
Namibia are set to play the star-studded India under Virat Kohli, who is set to lead the Men in Blue for the last time in the international T20 format and Namibia will be looking forward to spoiling their farewell in order to leave an unforgettable mark on world cricket.