Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus lamented the inability to execute plans with the ball in the death overs, saying it cost his side the T20 World Cup Super 12s match against New Zealand, in Sharjah, on Friday.
He was, however, hopeful of an improved show against India in the teams’ concluding league fixture.
Namibia did well to put New Zealand in a spot of bother at 87 for 4 but gave away 73 runs in the last five overs as the Black Caps went on to post a tricky total, which Erasmus's side was unable to chase down.
"I thought we bowled well for a while, probably for the first 15-16 overs, but the death overs didn't go according to the plan. We need to go back and make plans for the death overs," Erasmus said, at the post-match presentation.
"It's all about using the right bowler at the right time towards the end. We got one more game so we need to try and nail that aspect; so hoping to do that against India.
"It was quite a tough pitch though. 160 was a bit too much on that wicket. As I said, it got away from us towards the end," he added.
Reflecting on the game, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said: "I think we all know what we have to expect here. It was a real scrape."
"We tried to maximise that short side; it was a challenging surface. The guys played well to get us 160. An over or two can crack the game; that was our focus."
New Zealand need to win their last league game against a fearless Afghanistan to progress to the semi-finals and Williamson said his side is up for the challenge.
“They are a strong side and they (Afghanistan) have played good cricket; they have some match winners. Looking forward to that challenge."
Kiwi all-rounder Jimmy Neesham was adjudged the player of the match for his stellar performance with the bat (35 not out) and ball 1 for 16.
"It was a two-paced wicket; there were talks about the repercussions if we had lost today, but we were not thinking about the wicket," Neesham said.
"We needed to do well and the key for us was to set a par total. The way we went out there and played on a challenging surface, I'm pleased with it."
Despite providing the much-needed breakthrough with the ball Neesham was not used further.
"I'm fresh and I can bowl four if required, but we do have five specialists and I make up the sixth. I'm happy and ready to bowl when needed."
