ICC T20 WORLD CUP 2022

October 17, 2022

Pierre De Bruyn

Kardinia Park

Namibia

Pre Match Media Conference

Q. The Namibian captain has praised you a lot and said you've changed the team culture to a winning culture. What are your plans and what exactly have you changed?

PIERRE DE BRUYN: Yeah, it's a journey to change a culture, or to establish a culture takes time, and that's something I've identified in 2019 when I took over, is that we need a strong foundation. We need a strong culture for this team to perform. That's what we've put together.

Myself as a coach, I believe that we need to identify the values of this team and what we're going to live by, and I must say that we've come a long way. Four years later, almost four years later, and look where this team is.

Ultimately the values that we believe in and the values that we live in terms of pride and selfless, being a selfless player, inspiration, that's something we live by, and then the biggest thing, and I suppose that's what we saw yesterday on the field, is courage.

I knew from the start that it's going to take time for this team to believe in this culture, and it's been an enjoyable journey to put it together.

Q. When you joined the team in 2019, since then I'm sure the approach is changing, but are the skill sets changing? Do you see them evolving all these years?

PIERRE DE BRUYN: Absolutely. If I look at the skill sets in 2019 and where these players are right now, it's amazing to see how they've grown and how they've developed as a group. Again, it takes a lot of work to get these skill sets where they are now, and we also know that we can always improve in our skills.

But as I've said, there are various coaches that plays a role in assisting me with this, and ultimately these players are willing to sacrifice a lot and they're willing to work hard. If you're not willing to work hard, then you're not going to improve those skill sets quick enough.

They've bought into the fact that it's going to take time and it's going to take a lot of sacrifice and it's going to take a lot of sweat to improve their skill sets.

I look at where they were 12 months ago against Sri Lanka, our batting unit were bowled out for 90-odd, and I look at yesterday's game, and it's just pleasing to see where these guys are right now.

Q. Can you tell us something about the other coaches in your team, especially Albin and Morne and what their particular roles are?

PIERRE DE BRUYN: Yeah, when I started in 2019 there was one priority for me, and that was to get the right person next to me, and I've approached Albie then. He had just retired and we used to be teammates for many years, and that's a person that I've identified that I knew that would complement my style and also live by the standards that I believe in. So Albie has been with me in this journey, on this journey, and he's played a massive role in assisting me from -- he's not full-time, either.

Then this year I've identified Morne, and I believe the fact that Morne lives in Australia and the experience that he's got as a fast bowler, I wanted him to work with my bowling unit, and that started in May in Zimbabwe, that T20 series, and he's made a massive impact as a bowling coach.

Then also Justin Kim; he's not here with us, but he was more full-time in Namibia with me as an assistant coach.

I've got a fantastic team around me, and these people are the people that I believe are the right people to assist me and live by the right standards that I expect.

Then my support staff from the physio to the manager to the team doctor to my analyst, everyone is just magnificent in how they contribute in their departments, and I really appreciate what they do and how they assist me.

Q. What is your advice to the players going forward in this tournament?

PIERRE DE BRUYN: Look, my advice, and that's just the type of coach I am, is we've got to stay humble. There's a lot of cricket to be played still in this tournament. There are no guarantees for any success going forward. This game doesn't work like that.

We will not tolerate as a unit and as a group any complacency at all. Tomorrow is a brand new day. It's a new game. This group is now wide open for three teams to end up on possibly four points if you're going to lose a game.

We're fully aware of that. We're fully aware that yesterday was a historical moment for cricket Namibia as well as global cricket. But that's in the past now, and we need to move on quickly. We need to reset, and we started that process in our training today at the nets.

Q. If you were to pick one strength of your team, what would that be?

PIERRE DE BRUYN: They're fighters. They have got huge hearts.

It's a team that never, ever give up, and they will not stand back. I think we saw that yesterday. That was a summary of what this team is about when it comes to mental toughness. It doesn't matter who you play against. You will always respect the opposition.

This team is all about courage and all about resilience. They're just a unit that believe and love each other, a very tight unit.

The skill sets and the talent and all of that, you always have that in a team, but the heart and the fight, sometimes you don't get that in a team, and this team is just amazing when it comes to that.