Namibia senior cricket team coach, Pierre De Bruyne, said the draw for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled from 17 October to 14 November 2021, has motivated his team.

Speaking to Nampa on Monday, De Bruyne said Namibia will benefit from the underdog tag in the group, in which they have been drawn alongside Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Ireland in a ceremony held on Saturday.

“It is perfectly fine for us as a team to be seen as the underdogs. The team has shown in the last two and a half years what character we have and that we do not fear any team. We are competitive and we will go to the world cup to be competitive,” he said.

De Bruyne however expressed surprise at the fact that the groups, which were already determined after the 2019 qualifies, were then changed by the draw.

“It came as a surprise to us, but it is what it is. The re-draw was a surprise and we are now going to live with that. We are now in a strong group with the Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Ireland,” he said, adding that the team will continue working hard as they have done in the past year and a half in preparations for the tournament.

Meanwhile, team captain Gerhard Erasmus, echoed his coach’s views, saying they have been drawn into a tough group that has two test playing nations in Sri Lanka and Ireland.

“That makes it exciting for us to go and play strong sides. If we qualify for the next round, we are going to play India and that is a dream for lots of our players. However, we are a dangerous side and we are always well prepared,” he said.

The captain said their aim is to start off well as there is no time to buy into the tournament and they aim to focus on their strengths.

“We aim to train hard and execute it well in the next three months. We will try and play lots of games from now until October. We are also busy analysing our opponents so that we are ready them,” he said.

Namibia qualified for the tournament in October 2019.

Source: Namibia Press Agency