NC coach backs young guns
CORRESPONDENT AFTER last weekend’s disappointing performance against Eastern Province, the Northern Cape cricket team will look for an improved showing when they travel to Windhoek tomorrow to take on Namibia at the Wanderers Cricket Club.
Northern Cape lost both their Sunfoil 3-Day Cup (hammered by 10 wickets) and CSA Provincial T20 Challenge (beaten by 27 runs) fixtures against EP.
The NC selectors have made four changes to the squad that were well and truly beaten by EP last weekend.
Out are Warren Bell, Desmond de Koker, Kagisho Mohale and Keegan Rafferty, with four youngsters set to be given an opportunity to prove themselves at a higher level, after performing well in the local leagues.
Gerhard Cloete, who has once again been lifted from the rural team, Aiden Brooker, Zandre Swartz and Tebogo Mokwena will bring some fresh blood to the NC team.
A worried NC coach, JP Triegaardt, said that the players were not consistent with either the bat or ball in their last Sunfoil 3-Day Cup match, but added that the cloudy overhead conditions, coupled with rain, upset their plans slightly.
Looking at the few positives from that match, Triegaardt was pleased that his team showed good fight after being down at 57/4 and ending their first innings on 240 all out.
Triegaardt also felt that small basic errors had cost the team dearly, and they have been hard at work this week to sort these out and hopefully they can produce an improved performance against Namibia.
Namibia, however, are a good team on their home turf and NC know that the match will once again be a huge challenge.
“The Northern Cape squad will make an earnest effort to improve their game, while at the same time eradicate all their negative woes and change them to positive action,” said Triegaardt.
Triegaardt also added that the players selected for this fixture should make good use of the opportunities afforded them, as there are one or two players who do not seem to be performing to their true potential.
On Sunday the two teams clash in a CSA Provincial T20 Challenge match.
A late withdrawal from the Northern Cape squad is Jandre Coetzee, who has been called up to the Knights squad for their Sunfoil four-day fixture against the Highveld Lions at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley, also starting tomorrow.
His place in the NC squad has been taken by Tumelo Bodibe.
Triegaardt said that Coetzee’s absence is a bitter blow for his charges as it now places a bigger responsibility on an inexperienced bowling attack. He did, however, add that the players must now make good use of the opportunities that they have been afforded.
THE NORTHERN CAPE SQUAD Lotli Sesele, Gerhard Abrahams, Diego Rosier (captain), Aubrey Swanepoel, Gerhard Cloete, Patrick Kruger, Zakir Kathrada, Zandre Swartz, Tumelo Bodibe, Tebogo Mokwena, Reece Williams, Aloysius Seleka and Aiden Brooker.