Hebou PNG Barramundis coach, Dipak Patel says staying mentally fit is the key for his side to become more successful in the longer format of the game.
The Barras will take on Ireland in this Sunday’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Intercontinental Cup Round 3 match.
The Barras pulled off a historic win beating the Netherlands by 5 wickets in round of the Intercontinental Cup in June of last year.
Round 2 saw the Barras fall to Afghanistan by 201 runs in November.
“We don’t play enough cricket in the longer format (4 days) of the game compared to other countries which is why we struggle a bit.
“But staying physically and especially mentally fit over the 4 days is what we need to do. The mental application to play under pressure is very important.
“We were outplayed in the last two days of the match against Afghanistan despite a good start.
“But judging from our previous performances, there were some positive outcomes and I’m still confident we can beat Ireland,” said Patel.
The Barras are sitting in 6th place on 20 points in the Intercontinental Cup on the points table:
- Netherlands (46),
- Ireland (40),
- Hong Kong (30),
- Scotland (23),
- Afghanistan (21),
- PNG (20),
- Namibia (20),
- United Arab Emirates (0).