THE PLAYERS ...

While there’ll be plenty of focus on AB de Villiers and Colin Ingram in today’s Momentum One-Day Cup final, two players who epitomise the respective sides will be in the spotlight too. STUART HESS takes a look at them.

Warriors Andrew Birch

Just about the only thing that’s flashy about Andrew Birch is his hair. No-one typifies the Warriors’ enjoyment of a scrap better than the 31-yearold. He bustles toward the crease in the manner of an old-fashioned England seamer, swings the ball nicely and will throw in a bouncer occasionally. But it’s the heart of the man than stands out – like Monty Python’s “black knight” he never knows when he’s down. It’s an often under-appreciated element in a player from those watching from the outside. Inside the dressing-room, the Warriors know they can count on Birch when the going is toughest. His double strike to dismiss Dave Miller and Pite van Biljon in the play-off game against the Knights underscored that characteristic. Birch’s stats in this season’s One-Day Cup have been solid but not spectacular, but the numbers only tell a small part of what makes him such an important player.

Titans Farhaan Behardien

Much maligned by the public, but a true professional and a valued and highly-respected voice in the dressing-room, Behardien has been a central figure in much of the Titans’ success in the last few seasons. As a “finisher” he’s been one of the best on the domestic scene. A glance at his statistics this season don’t tell the full story of Behardien’s contribution – 162 runs in five innings with one half-century; it’s hard to bat where he does especially when the Titans’ top order has performed so well. He acts as a bridge between the top order and the power-house middle and lower order the home-team is famous for. In finals, it’s the big players, the leaders who are required to set the tone, and Behardien is one of those.