Warriors aim to skin Cobras in backyard
FRESH off a solid victory in their opening T20 Challenge cricket fixture, the Warriors will be bursting with confidence as they take on the Cobras in Cape Town tonight (6pm).
Captain Jon-Jon Smuts says there is a good vibe flowing through the camp and that his charges would be looking to build on their bonus-point victory over the Dolphins in Durban this past weekend.
“It was a perfect start against the Dolphins,” said Smuts yesterday.
“We won the toss which was a good start and then the bowlers did their jobs and then we won it with a bonus point with the bat.”
Smuts said they would discuss the surface and decide on their starting line-up but it is likely they could go for an unchanged line-up.
“We’ve got the same squad. We haven’t really discussed the pitch as yet. We only start at 6pm but the squad is in a good space and we look forward to the challenge.”
The Warriors have competed well at Newlands in recent times and the venue does not have as much of a hold on opposition players as it might have in the past.
“Cape Town has been very much a stronghold for the Cobras but of late our guys have started playing some good cricket there. If my memory serves, in our last 50-over match there we chased 260 with about five overs to spare. In the four-day game the other day we really batted well and got 500-plus.”
The Cobras’ problems in their camp have been well-documented this season. Unfortunately for them, the discord among their playing and coaching staff has filtered into their results.
The Cobras lost their first match against the Knights and then came unstuck against the Titans midweek.
“It won’t be distracting at all,” said Smuts of the Cobras’ issues.
“It’s on the day and it comes off. The team just needs to play the way we have been and execute our plans.”
It has been a torrid start for the hosts and they will be hoping their West Indian professional, Kieron Pollard, can step up to the plate for them.
“He’s been here in South Africa for the last few years and he’s an international player so we’ve seen a lot of him. He’s got a lot of danger factor with the bat and he’s very handy with the ball.”
The Cobras conceded 12 extras in their midweek game against the Titans, which was an alarming statistic to captain Justin Ontong.
“The execution of our game plans against Albie went awry,” added the captain.
“I also thought we allowed too many dot balls to go by unpunished.”
Ontong was unhappy about the way the hosts bowled in the final five overs, although he saw an improvement in the fielding and in the energy levels in the field. The squads are: Warriors: Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Colin Ackermann, Andrew Birch, Clyde Fortuin, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Colin Ingram, Christiaan Jonker, Sisanda Magala, Lesiba Ngoepe, Solomzi Nqweni, Somila Seyibokwe, Basheer Walters
Cobras: Justin Ontong (capt), Richard Levi, Zubayr Hamza, Cebo Tshiki, Beuran Hendricks, Jason Smith, Kieron Pollard, Aviwe Mgijima, Keegan Petersen, George Linde, Rory Kleinveldt, Mafinki Serame, Dane Paterson, Tshepo Moreki.