ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

October 21, 2021

Assad Vala

Oman Cricket Academy Ground

Papua New Guinea

Post Match Media Conference

Bangladesh - 181/7 (20), Papua New Guinea - 97 (19.3)

Q. Your thoughts on the game?

ASSAD VALA: My thoughts on game? Disappointing.

Q. If I can ask, what were your thoughts going into halftime after the first innings? Did you think 180 was a score too big or did you think you could actually chase it down this wicket?

ASSAD VALA: No, every time you play, you believe in yourselves that you can win the watch. We believed we could win the match if we had a good start. But I think what's been costing us, batting as we know, and we've got good stats. We've been losing wickets early on. The power play, I think if you go three, four, it's really hard to come back from them, and I think that's -- that was it when we lost four or five in the power play.

Q. In different areas of the game, for example, in the batting and fielding, for example, today the fielding was excellent, the catching was excellent, but the batting let you down, so a little disappointing that different areas of the game do not click together as one performance, you make improvements in one and something else let's you down?

ASSAD VALA: Yeah, I think that's true. I think when we don't start well, we do well, in the middle and we do well after that. If we don't start well -- and if we do start well, then we don't do well at something that's -- I think we've been playing a really, I think complete match at the moment.

Today I think we started well against a really good batting, 1-for-40-something. I think last four overs, I think we win the game. In fact, if I can say.

But 16, four, five overs, I think that's -- 16 runs I think in the last four or five overs, we just couldn't execute our skills under pressure. When our bowlers were under pressure, we just couldn't execute.

So, disappointing. I think we did really well against Scotland but when we were put under pressure again, we just couldn't execute.

Q. What will the main takeaways for you be from this tournament? You had some really good spells and some really bad ones. What are some positive things that you'll take away from this later on?

ASSAD VALA: Especially to be not just good but be better. As batsmen, we need to score runs, and consistently, and our bowlers I think just need to be executing their skills under pressure. I think we improved over the three games but I think we can be better as well. A lot of learnings.

What I can say is we are just not good enough I think. Especially our batting really let us down. No one put their hands up, especially the senior players. We just need to be better from the front and score as many runs as we could but we weren't good enough, and we just need to be better and score more runs. Give ourselves a chance.

But I think we had a really -- I thought Kabua was outstanding all throughout the three games. Kabua won his first two appearance in the country. I think he's been really good and I'm really happy for him for the work he has put in, and I think credit to him. Credit to him.

Q. How proud are you of what you and the team have achieved in coming this far?

ASSAD VALA: I wouldn't say -- I am proud that we are here but I wouldn't say achieved because we set ourselves goals and we wanted to win, win games. That's why we're here. We're not here just to make up the numbers, and we did our best all throughout the three games, which is disappointing.

I believe that if we could play our best wicket all through the three games, we would have given ourselves a chance. But we just have to find the right level of performance, because sometimes we play well, sometimes we don't, and when it's up and down at the moment, we just need to keep working on what is the best way to get the best out of ourselves.

Q. What are you hoping is the lasting legacy in PNG in terms of getting more people to play there?

ASSAD VALA: Yeah, I think if we can have more, I think it's all about the support. I think a lot of kids are playing at the moment, and if we can have more juniors coming through our system, I think having more depth pool to select from would be really good. I think everyone there just gives everything, and I think I'm really proud of the effort of the boys they have given, but I think there is still more to come from us. I think the best is yet to come. I think we have learned a lot from this tournament. Hopefully we can keep improving.

Q. How would you rate Doriga's innings when you are seven down for 29 innings, just to make sure the score was with some sort of decency in the end? How did your team receive his innings in terms of how he saved Papa New Guinea's effort today?

ASSAD VALA: I think he played really well. He has been really good over the last two games. We are needing to be more consistent but that's what we expect from him, really good innings from him. I think like you said, we pulled ourselves from getting us from 90 to 100. I was really happy with that when he played. We just need to keep working on and keep being consistent and that's what we need to keep working on.

Q. What is PNG's next target at the international level?

ASSAD VALA: I don't know the schedule, what's going to be happen. So if I know, I can give you a clear answer, but I don't know what the plans are for us.

Q. In terms of your training for this tournament, you went up against a best side like Bangladesh, what changes will you make in your training going forward? Has it taught to you train differently? In terms of training, what has this tournament taught you, the way you train as a team?

ASSAD VALA: I don't know the answer to that. I think we trained really well all throughout the duration of the stay here. I think we just couldn't execute what we needed to do out on the pitch. The training didn't need to change. It's just as players not being able to execute what we learned during training out on the field, being out there. What we worked on in training, we just couldn't execute during the game. The training, it all depends on the coach, Carl, and what he needs us to do to improve our game. I think we have a really good coach. I think he knows what to do, so he's going to draw up a program for us. I know the boys will improve and are looking forward to that opportunity working with Carl.