Basheer fired up for Dolphins
Warriors eyeing silverware in season-ending one-day series
EXPERIENCED Warriors fast bowler Basheer Walters is gearing up for one last push towards the end of the season as his team take another crack at some silverware this month. The 30-year-old spoke frankly when asked how his legs were feeling five months into the season.
“I won’t lie, it’s been a long season,” he said.
“But I’ve been looked after very well. I take my days off after a four-day game or after a one-day game I’ll take the next day off.
“The bowlers have been bowling a lot.
“We’ve been playing only three seamers in the four-dayers.
“It’s been a cramped season and the bowlers are tired, but we are being looked after and we’ll manage through the remainder of the season.”
The Warriors have seven round-robin games to get through in the next 21 days and then there is still a possible playoff and final to come before month end.
They resume their campaign for silverware against the Dolphins at St George’s Park tomorrow and then travel to East London on Saturday for a game against the Titans on Sunday.
“There’s nothing better than a home game, especially when the band is out and the fans are here,” Walters said.
“We’ve tended to change things around at home, so we are really keen and looking forward to Friday.”
After two opening losses in the competition, the Warriors got back on track with a fine win over the Knights in Kimberley on Saturday.
Apart from the T20s, the team have struggled to get wins and they now have the perfect chance to get on a roll with back-to-back home games.
“In the four-dayers, in the last three games we were in it until the last hour of the last day,” Walters said.
“We just needed one good win to get us back on track again and hopefully that was it in the last game.”
The Warriors bowlers will need to strike early and consistently. They conceded more than 300 runs in both of their first matches, but Walters said it was not because of errant bowling.
“The way the game is going, nothing’s getting easier for the bowlers. In all three games there were very good pitches.
“That’s where individual skill comes in – if you play on a good pitch you need to use your skills. “On a slowish deck it’s difficult to bang it in and most of the time you won’t get the results you are after.”
“Look, there’s always room for improvement, definitely. But we can’t be too harsh on ourselves because I really don’t think we missed our marks that much. On slower pitches your margin for error is always smaller.”
Tomorrow’s match starts at 2pm and tickets cost R40 for adults and R20 for scholars and pensioners and R30 for a student with a card.