A year ago, everything was different for Namibia. They were in Abu Dhabi and were preparing for their maiden Men's T20 World Cup appearance, in the first round against Sri Lanka on October 18. Batting first, they never got the rhythm they needed, reduced to being 80/6 and were bowled out for 96 as Sri Lanka cruised to a seven-wicket win.
Cut to now, and two days before what happened a year ago in Abu Dhabi, Namibia were batting first against the same opposition in the first round of 2022 Men's T20 World Cup at Geelong, Australia. At 93/6 in 14.2 overs, one feared the script of 2021 clash was on the verge of being repeated in 2022.
But it didn't happen as Jan Frylinck (44) and JJ Smit (31 not out) shared a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket to take Namibia to a competitive 163/7 in 20 overs, including 68 runs coming off the last five overs. The bowlers then mixed up their lengths and pace well on a two-paced pitch to bowl out Sri Lanka for 108 in 19 overs for a historic 55-run win over a major cricketing nation.
In the post-match press conference, Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus was quick to point out how much things changed for his side in a year.
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"If you look at last year's game compared to this, it's basically tables that have been turned. It's a period of 12 months really; it's not just the areas that played on before us. It's basically we tried a solid preparation and hard work you put in for a 12-month period as opposed to just the 20 overs and we just have to execute on the 20 overs we had to bat."
After that heavy opening loss to Sri Lanka in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Namibia regrouped quickly to defeat Netherlands and Ireland to enter the Super 12 stage in their first-ever participation in the global event for the shortest format of the game.
In Super 12, they beat Scotland, but lost to bigger teams like Afghanistan, New Zealand, Pakistan and India. After their run in the T20 World Cup, Namibia won 2-1 over Uganda in April and beat Zimbabwe 3-2 in a five-match series in May.
Four of their players underwent training at the academy of Pakistan Super League (PSL) champions Lahore Qalandars, while the club itself came to Namibia to play in a T20 tri-series which also included domestic South Africa side Lions. In the T20 World Cup warm-up matches, Namibia won by 11 runs over Ireland, and Sunday's victory over Sri Lanka showed how much they had grown as a T20I side in the last 12 months.
"I had this sort of childish belief last year before that game, and I think this year it was more something of we've played at the level and we can now mentally relate to that level. We can now physically and skillfully relate to that level. We've played India, Pakistan, all these teams before."
"We've seen it, we've tasted it, and because we've closed that gap by becoming one step closer to them and getting the physical feel for what it's like, I think that's really what gave us the belief this time around that well, this is a cricket game, and I think if we execute better on the day, we stand a good chance," added Erasmus.
Erasmus revealed that while reading tabloids in the morning, he saw that they gave Namibia only 11% chance of defeating Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, telling them of the little chance they had of defeating the reigning Asia Cup winners.
"After reading that, it sort of gives you just that underdog feel again, and having that underdog feel backed with a bit of real belief, not the childish behind the scenes one but the real belief that you've played at the level, I think that that's what happened today, I guess."
"We just went on to the field on an equal footing to the Sri Lankan side. As I said, if more opportunities like these arise for associate nations, they've shown over the years that they do close the gap and get to the level, and they're good actually quite quickly. I guess that's a call for more of these games for us."
So, what was the difference between the Namibia side which faced Sri Lanka in 2022, as compared to 2021? Erasmus put it down to the experiences of their heart-warming run in the 2021 T20 World Cup, including work put in to adapt to the bounce in Australian conditions.
"The type of experience that we gained from there really showed and sort of gave us a great idea and a clear idea of what type of skill we need to be able to compete on this oval. For one, the speed on the ball is more. The quality of the skills and the percentage of execution that guys are playing at is higher."
"Basically, in training we sort of looked at that. We did a lot of work on playing the short ball, did a lot of skill work on playing different options, and I guess that showed. We got some powerplay boundaries today which were scored behind square on the leg side, on the off side. We looked much more comfortable in playing the mystery spin and the great googly off (Wanindu) Hasaranga toward the middle, and towards the later end, this wicket probably didn't suit bowling into the wicket that much."
"So that kind of suited our type of skill, which is maybe just bludgeoning the ball a bit harder, and that showed with JJ Smit getting a few over the ropes and Jan Frylinck always plays those very smart innings, also squaring behind square and running wide in front of square."
"Those are the types of skills we've had to sort of put together over the last 12 months, but still, our strengths remain our strengths, and I think we sort of stuck to that more today rather than the newish skills, if we can call it that, that we've gained over the last 12 months."
Erasmus stated that though Namibia will celebrate their Sunday's win to the fullest, they need to get back to World Cup mode quickly, with just a day's gap before coming back to Geelong on Tuesday to face the Netherlands.
"It's going to take a massive mental reset from our point because you can get carried away with celebrations and historic events like this happening. Everyone, rightly so, is very glad at winning at this nation, Sri Lankan side, for the first time ever and on the world stage in the opening game. A massive event in our lives, and as such it should be celebrated."
"The recovery periods being so quick between these games, we kind of have to put the celebrations up for a little bit, because it's a new start to the tournament, and two or three games in we really want to get our eye on qualifying for the Super 12s, which is really the main goal from here on in."
In life and cricket, a lot can change in a year. Just ask Namibia, now more experienced than they were in 2021 and reminding the world in 2022 of what they are capable of: more spectacular wins.
