ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2021

November 3, 2021

Kyle Coetzer

Sheikh Zayed Stadium

Scotland

Post Match Media Conference

KYLE COETZER: Off the back two of losses prior to today, it was about us going out and trying to perform as best we could against a really strong New Zealand side.

I think if we were able to restrict Guptill earlier in the innings, that might have changed the game -- obviously it would change the game. But we know that they still have got strength and depth down their lineup. But for us to go out there and put on a bit of a show to show what we are capable of, that's certainly something to take from today.

But I do think that we'll probably look back in that we've had a number of games against New Zealand over the years and some have been close, some haven't. And this is one that you're saying 17 runs, 17 runs is a reasonable size in T20 cricket, but we'll look back and say where are those little moments in the game that we probably could have closed that gap and maybe an opportunity missed on our behalf. But that's where we have to keep raising our bar.

Q. You ran New Zealand close today. Did you have a moment where you thought you had them against the ropes?

KYLE COETZER: There were a couple of moments. We picked up three wickets coming out of the power play. That was really important for us. The class of Guptill showed through there and I thought, and Phillips when he came in, they built a really powerful partnership there. And if we were able to peg back one more wicket, then, you know, again, that's a moment in the game that you've got to look at and then second half I thought we were going well. Ten overs at the drinks break, and we were a couple of runs ahead of New Zealand at that point.

Obviously they have a fine bowling attack and fine team and you have to expect them to bowl well. I did say to our team, if we are going to win today, it's going to be the long game. It's not going to be a short game. It's going to be a tight one, and a couple of those moments, I think they just took those moments in the game.

Q. New Zealand, obviously a really strong team like you mentioned. I presume you guys will draw a lot of confidence from this performance moving forward in this tournament and beyond. What are the key learnings for you as a side? Are there any improvements that you feel like you need to make immediately, or is this part of a longer journey for Scotland?

KYLE COETZER: We have got quite a confident bunch of players who strongly believe that we deserve to be here. Obviously we are here. So we have played our part to get to here and we have got a quietly confident group of Scottish lads who think that we can continue to progress in this tournament.

This game is probably just giving us a bit more confidence again, because we lost -- I would say we were pretty unhappy with the two performances we put in prior to this game. So this will certainly instill a bit of confidence. We just have to keep pushing and keep believing in our games. We are going to come up against two fantastic sides still in this competition, so what a great time to be a Scottish cricketer and what a great time to be a Scottish fan. The sky is the limit really but we have to be willing to go out and trust ourselves.

Q. How impressed have you been with Mark Watt throughout this tournament and today in particular?

KYLE COETZER: Yeah, today, again, Mark was fantastic. He's been bowling extremely well for quite a while now. And this whole tour that we have been on, it will be coming up to about seven weeks by the time we leave, and Mark's been fantastic. He's been the guy who you can throw the ball to at any end, short boundary, long boundary, into the breeze, against the breeze; he's there and he's willing to do it, as are a number of other guys but Mark has been fantastic.

I think he's probably shown the skill he has and the ability to be able to restrict runs, and understand the game, playing the game, it's not just about being able to deliver a ball that has some revs on it and it might turn or a ball that could yorker, it's actually understanding the game and reading the game. Mark has got excellent game sense at the moment and he's nailing that at the moment and showing why he should be on this stage and why he is on this stage.

Q. And is he the sort of guy that puts in a lot of prep for specific batters?

KYLE COETZER: Yeah, I think everyone puts in the prep. I think every team in this competition has someone who is sending out the relevant information on opposition and Mark is very aware of who does what when it comes to guys, players when they sweep and reverse sweep and where they look to hit the ball down the ground. So that prep's done, yeah.

Q. And he's played a little bit of County cricket in the past. Do you see someone who will get contracts in other leagues in the future on the back of his performances in this tournament?

KYLE COETZER: I would hope so. I think Mark deserves that as far as I'm concerned, and he's certainly got the ability to go and play in those competitions, and not only the county stuff, maybe the franchise tournaments around the world. I think he's certainly put his hand up to be one of the best left-arm spinners in this competition.

Q. How is Josh Davey?

KYLE COETZER: Josh has picked up a bit of a niggle and I think he'll be getting assessed probably tomorrow. Yeah, but first of all, Josh has been fantastic for us in this tournament so we are all hoping that he will be okay.

Q. Michael Leask with that kind of linings at the end, is that a glimpse of what he's capable of?

KYLE COETZER: Of course it is. I've heard many times of a couple of innings around Scotland where he's been hitting balls into Dumfries somewhere. He's certainly capable of striking a good cricket ball and he's brilliant in the field and he has his moments with the ball and does exceptionally well for us in all aspects so look, it's just a glimpse of what Michael Leask can do. He's still not reached his peak yet, I don't think, and I'm excited to see where he can get to.

Q. Obviously with the two games to go, what else would you like to see from this team?

KYLE COETZER: The point I made to our playing group and our staff a few days ago was as much as we want to play, I don't really mind how the results end up panning out and how we show ourselves on this stage and how we go and try and play our cricket. We have got a strong powerful brand of cricket that we play, but we need to challenge ourselves at this level as often as we possibly can. That's the only way we'll keep improving, and I think today was an improvement again.

Still a little bit left in the tank yet. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else. They are two fantastic sides we're going to come up against, so we are really looking forward to it.