New Delhi, Feb 9 (IANS) Senior all-rounder JJ Smit said Gary Kirsten's calming presence and subcontinental expertise as Namibia’s consultant coach have been invaluable for the side as they prepare to open their 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup Group A campaign against the Netherlands at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

The former South Africa opener, who coached India to the 2011 ODI World Cup title on home soil, has joined Namibia as a consultant for the ongoing T20 World Cup. Kirsten has already made a huge impression on the Namibian team through his wealth of knowledge ahead of their fourth consecutive T20 World Cup appearance.

"He's just so calm. A very calm human being and he’s very quiet. But in team meetings and warm-up stuff, when he speaks, there's just a lot of knowledge coming out. Just his calmness. When I bowled a day after the warm-up game against Namibia, we trained for a super over. When we bowled, he came up to me and smiled.

“He's like, you bowled that last over really well. What are you going to do now? I just said, ‘I'm going to do the same.’ He just said, ‘I like it.’ He turned around and walked away. So, he's a really funny guy as well. He loves to joke. But his experience and just his calmness that he brought to the group as well is amazing.

“The same is for our other coaches in Justin Kemp, Craig Williams and other assistants. They're all really calm people and look at the situation and talk about what is before you and what is the next challenge? Then we take it in,” Smit told IANS in an exclusive conversation.

Smit, who bats right-handed and bags crucial scalps with handy left-arm seam bowling, has been in stellar form after the 2024 T20 World Cup – being Namibia's leading wicket-takers with 20 scalps while also smashing 22 sixes - the most by any batter from the country in that period.

Smit, 30, has also amassed 111 runs at a strike rate of 206 between overs 17-20, striking a boundary every three balls. "Obviously bowling is the hard part of T20 cricket. It seems like the batter is having fun all the time and the bowlers are struggling. The bowlers have the hardest task to get them out on these flat pitches as well," he added.

Smit's partnership with left-arm quick Ruben Trumpelmann has been crucial to Namibia's success, with the pair forming a potent new-ball combination. "Obviously bowling with Ruben is quite fun. He's got a lot of pace and swing in his bowling and he gets early wickets for us, which helps me a lot when I and other bowlers come on to bowl. It showed in previous World Cups - I think he's taken about four or five wickets in the first over of World Cups and just amazing to bowl with him," he added.

A breakthrough moment for Namibia came in October last year when they stunned South Africa by four wickets in their first official game at their new stadium in Windhoek - a victory Smit describes as among the most memorable of his career.

"Beating the Proteas was key, as they are the team we support when we don't play cricket. So, beating them was amazing. Our plans for that game was pretty simple. Just keep it simple, do the basics right, and the result will come your way and that's exactly what happened.

“We bowled one or two bad balls in 120 balls, and we didn't actually bat as well as we could, but we still chased it down on the last ball. So, in saying that, all the skill is there. Just that feeling when we beat them, like, I don't think there's something that can describe that.

"There's two feelings that come to mind when I think back on it. When we first qualified for our first World Cup, that feeling was amazing, and when we beat Sri Lanka in Australia as well. So, they're not as big as beating the Proteas, but they come close to that feeling that we had on 11 October 2025. That was quite an amazing day and an amazing feeling. I can't say much more, but it was a good day,” he recalled.

Appearing at their fourth consecutive T20 World Cup, Namibia are determined to break new ground by reaching the Super Eights stage for the first time. If they are to break into the Super Eights, Namibia must come in the top two in a challenging group featuring defending champions India, Pakistan, the Netherlands and the United States of America (USA).

"Making the Super Eights would be crazy for Namibia. Imagine you see Namibia against Australia there or facing India again and that would be fantastic. For us to do that, we would have to beat at least three teams in our group or two and hope for other fixtures to go away. But it's definitely possible.

“The last year we've had in T20 cricket, we've beaten two or three Test nations. But the World Cup is different – it’s hard, there's crowds, more people, more TV on you, media and stuff. So, it would be some achievement, but it's definitely possible,” added Smit.

Smit has adjusted his preparation to manage the demands of being a genuine all-rounder for Namibia. "Basically balancing being an all-rounder, you have to keep fit and strong. I don't know if our trainer thinks that I'm fit and strong, but he makes me sweat and our physio keeps me on the field all the time.

“I can always hit the ball, but to bat long is important. An important part of my game now is to bat as long as possible in 50-over cricket and in T20 cricket. Batting is obviously the fun part. Enjoy that much more than bowling.

“My preparation for bowling is that I don't bowl as much as I usually do. The older body that I've got, I manage my bowling really. I hardly bowl in the nets. If I bowl, the guys smack me around. So, I don't enjoy that as well. But I just love hitting balls and batting time,” he said.

For a small nation like Namibia competing against cricket's superpowers, preparation for the unique atmosphere of Indian venues has been crucial, especially when they take on India in New Delhi on Thursday. Namibia's recent tour of Nepal, playing before 15,000 knowledgeable fans, has provided for valuable experience.

“People in our country back home, they enjoy T20 cricket more. When we played against the Proteas, there were 4,000 people. The stadium was absolutely packed; it was a small stadium, not like the big stadiums here in India, and the crowd really loved it. They loved T20 cricket and our team as well.

"I don't know how the young players prepare or how the coaches would love for the young players to prepare. But I've played against India and Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup. A nice thing for Namibia is we played Nepal in Nepal, and they always have big crowds. They had 15,000 people at the game. So, that's a good enough prep.

"I know it's not the same. But playing in front of those fans in Nepal is amazing; they are good fans, and they are good at, how can I say this, they understand the game of cricket. They're not just cheering for the sake of cheering. They understand what cricket is about and a dot ball and a wicket and a six and a four; they know the difference.

“So, playing in front of those fans really, really helped. I think it's helped a few of our young players. So, they kind of know what to expect. It's not going to be the same playing against India in Delhi. I don't think there's anything that can prepare you for that, except playing against India in Delhi,” he concluded.

--IANS

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