Ireland is the strongest team here and it is a great start to the tournament to beat them first up. I saw the ball really well and we had a really good team spirit which helped us in the tense closing overs.
Namibia can be quite an unpredictable team, but when it comes off we can beat anybody. The biggest challenge for us will be to be consistent throughout the event and keep up our performance levels. We have had such great preparation for this event, playing in the South African provincial league and having some specialist training camps, where we have been lucky to receive some coaching from Daryll Cullinan, who is also in the UAE with the team.It is fantastic to be able to call on his experience to focus on specific skills. It has made a real difference to my Twenty20 cricket. On the tracks in Dubai, it is really important to use the crease, and he has strengthened our skill-base.
My focus as a batsman in the team is to clear the ropes as often as possible in the opening overs and push the run-rate up. Twenty20 cricket really suits my game. It is really important to get off to a good start and take advantage of the fielding restrictions. I scored 159 off 79 balls against Kenya in the Africa regional qualifier for this tournament, the highest score in the global qualifying structure to date, which was a great feeling, and I felt I batted really well against Ireland today. Hopefully I can continue this form for the next two weeks.
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