Hurricanes Coach Gary Kirsten - Hobart Airport Media Interview 28/01/18

How do you and the team feel after yesterday's loss to the Melbourne Stars but still making the BBL Finals?

We are all thrilled that we got through to the finals but we’re a little bit disappointed with our game yesterday.

We put in a really good total and we were confident going into field that we could win it.

But it still turned out in our favour – the five wins we achieved was enough to get us through, so I think everyone is looking forward to the knockouts now and it’s just great to be there.

Is there any disbelief there that the team will actually be playing in the finals?

Not so much – I think there was a kind of mixture of emotions in many ways, but I think everyone is just happy that we’ve been able to get through.

And as we know in knockout cricket, anything’s possible so we are excited about that opportunity.

How frustrating were those last few overs yesterday against the Stars with the fielding and bowling errors?

It was disappointing our fielding and bowling performances yesterday but it can happen in a game.

But for us we need to take the learnings out of it and to make sure we don’t make similar errors and move forward.

I think the one thing that I have learned in this tournament is that when you come up against some of the best players in the world – if you’re not on your game – they are going to hurt you.

And I think we have seen that throughout this whole tournament.

Will we see Tymal Mills in the Semi-Finals of this tournament?

We don’t know yet. We need to sit down as a leadership group and make what we think is the best decision for the team for the Semi-Final.

I think there are a lot of factors in play and we’ll be interested today (Sunday) to have a look at the new (Optus Stadium) Perth wicket during the One Day International (AUS v ENG).

And then we’re going to have to make decisions on what we think should be best for the team.

The Scorchers in Perth who are likely to get some big names back. In terms of a Semi-Final, is this as tough as it gets?

I think they have put us in a really good position because there will not be too much expectation placed on us.

So we can kind of go out there and play freely.

I think we have really achieved something this season so we can go out and play with a freer game without much expectations so I think that will help us.

Will it be a straight swap this week – D’Arcy Short out with the Australian T20 team and Tim Paine straight back in?

Possibly – again you know we have to think carefully about the squad, but I think that is likely.

And you know, to have an international available will be very good.

It’s going to be quite a creative selection for this game to be honest with you – something different.

We are going to sit down on Monday with our leadership group and go through it all and decide who is the best team for this game.

It’s not all about one player, but how about Tymal Mills who hasn’t lived up to his death bowling requirements? Has that been disappointing?

He’s come here with a great reputation and has done some good stuff for us throughout the series but been a little bit inconsistent I suppose by his own admission.

But you know – you can get exposed in this competition.

That’s what makes it a great event and I think he would have taken a lot of learning out of it going forward.

But you know T20 cricket is really pressurized and if you’re not on your game, six balls could be the undoing of you.

And I’ve seen a few players in this BBL have that experience.

With the Scorchers batting so deep would you look at playing an extra batter to put up that big total?

That’s been a conundrum for us through the tournament you know whether to go six batsmen or seven batsmen.

The seventh batsman has worked well for us because we’ve got scores of around 170 plus most games.

So it’s something that we’re comfortable with. But you know again, we’re going to have to look at it.

Without D’Arcy there we’re also one bowler light too, so there’s going to be a lot of thinking going on this Monday that’s for sure.

Good news for the boys too with the IPL auction for D’Arcy Short and Jofra Archer? That can be life-changing for them.

They deserve it. They’ve had incredible seasons. I’m really pleased for them. It’s a great event for them to be involved in and an incredible occasion.

So I will be telling them to make the most of it. You are going into an Indian environment and they are passionate about the game of cricket.

They love it. It’s a very different country – you get a variety of different experiences off the field and I will say to those guys not to spend too much time in the hotel room.

Go outside and experience the country.

AUS v ENG: T20 International - Wednesday 7 February 2018 - Blundstone Arena, Hobart - MATCH TICKETS HERE

Bronze Seats - Adult $39 / Child (4-15 years) $20

Silver Seats - Adult $49 / Child (4-15 years) $25

Gold Seats - Adult $59

Platinum Seats - Adult $69

General Admission - Adult $30 / Child (4-15 years) $10