T20 WC, Rd 1: Definitely pressure is on Sri Lanka to win, says Namibia skipper Erasmus
Oct 18, 2021
Abu Dhabi [UAE], October 18 : Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus feels all of the pressure is on Sri Lanka as his boys make their ICC men's T20 World Cup debut on Monday.
Namibia's first match at the tournament comes against the 2014 winners, who have played more T20 World Cup matches than any other team. Erasmus said Namibia have nothing to lose and everything to gain in Abu Dhabi when the two sides meet.
"I think most definitely the pressure is on them to win. We are going in there with a permanent underdog tag and that is always nice, makes us nice and free," ICC quoted Erasmus as saying.
"Maybe they are a bit under pressure because of recent results and that puts a team up for the taking, and if we do it well, we can take them down.
"We've played lots of T20 cricket against high-quality opposition, and we have travelled a bit so we are accustomed to playing in different conditions, playing against different skills. I am more than happy with our prep and if we can bring it together for these three games, I am confident we can go through," he added.
As Namibia makes its T20 World Cup debut, coach Pierre de Bruyn said the squad had dreamt of playing the showpiece event and the players are very excited as well nervous at the same time.
"It's been a long wait and the players can't wait to get going. These players have dreamt about this opportunity since they were five years old, six years old, and that dream is coming true tomorrow, so there is excitement as well as nervousness and pressure," said de Bruyn.