Warriors target one day honours
Smuts confident his men can finally cross the line
FOR some time now the Warriors have been the “nearly” men in white ball cricket. They have made playoffs and qualified for finals but silverware has somehow just managed to elude them.
After being beaten in the CSA T20 Challenge final by the Titans earlier this season, the Warriors get another crack at a trophy in coloured clothing when the Momentum OneDay Cup starts for them this weekend.
Jon-Jon Smuts’ team have an opening assignment against the Highveld Lions in Johannesburg tomorrow, a team which beat them in the play-off of the same competition last season.
Smuts says his team will again adopt an unshackled approach after the success it brought in the T20 campaign.
“I don’t think there needs to be much motivation for the players. It’s an exciting time of year again. White ball cricket on the television and under lights is something to look forward to again for the guys to express themselves and have fun.
“We want our guys to play with freedom. I think that’s when the Warriors play their best cricket . . when we go out and look to have fun and play positively and I think that shows on the field as well,” Smuts said this week.
The talented allrounder, who was picked for the Proteas earlier this season, was not saying as much but the Warriors do owe the Lions one after losing to them twice last season.
“There was a rained out game last year and then we threw one game away really needing 18 runs off the last three overs and we couldn’t get it done.
“Then we lost the toss in difficult conditions in the playoff game. It . was difficult to bat. I think we got about 200 and then a bit of drizzle and the pitch greased up a bit.
“But they are a good side led very well by Stephen Cook. They have also had a really good record in this competition over the last few years. We know we have stiff competition. But we know if we play well and positively we have a really good chance of beating them.
“Hopefully, we can go a bit further than last year’s performance where we lost in the playoff.”
Smuts comes back into the team having missed the Sunfoil Series multi-day competition where the Warriors finished in a tight last place having been in the race for the title with two matches to play. Smuts was uncertain as to why the Warriors perform better in white ball cricket than red.
“I’m not really sure about that. I suppose four-day cricket is a lot about consistency in terms of everyone performing.
“In T20 and one-day cricket you can have individuals put up their hands and take you over the line. Four-day cricket is definitely much more of a team effort. You do have to remember we are still quite a young side when it comes to fourday cricket.
“But in saying that I know we have come bottom of the log, but with two games to go we were still in with a chance to win the trophy. The log position does not necessarily tell the full story. We competed really well this year in the four-day stuff and we weren’t too far away from winning it.”
The Warriors will employ mostly the same squad for the 50-over competition as to what led them to the T20 final. However, there does seem to be some doubt as to whether Christiaan “The Finisher” Jonker will be fit in time.
“Jonkie is touch and go with an injury but he is in the mix. Andrew Birch missed the last few games but he is back in. It will be a very similar side to the T20s.
“Birch has been an outstanding performer for the Warriors the last couple of years. He’s really done well and it was tough to leave him out of the T20 Challenge but obviously having a world class player like Kyle Abbott was very difficult for us. But to have Birchy back in our side to lead the bowling attack again is great.”
Warriors squad: Colin Ackermann, Colin Ingram, Gihahn Cloete, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Jerry Nqolo, Andrew Birch, Lesiba Ngoepe, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Yaseen Vallie, Basheer Walters, Kelly Smuts, Sisanda Magala, David White. — reevesa@timesmedia.