EP’s double has coach on a high

Eastern Province coach Piet Botha was full of praise for his side’s convincing victory over Border in their CSA One-Day Challenge match on Sunday.

Botha said the players executed their plans well and a number of them had put their hands up with solid performances.

EP completed an impressive double over Border after their six-wicket victory in the threeday format before their 10-wicket mauling of their cross-border rivals in the one-day match.

“All four of our bowlers did what was asked of them, thus putting the Border side under pressure with the quality of bowling, and to back it up the way we did in the field, I can say it was one of the better performances an EP side had produced [on Sunday],” Botha said.

Looking back at their victory in the three-day match, Botha said it was again the bowling unit which had set the tone in the match.

“Everybody in the team is there to do a job, so sometimes certain individuals perform outstandingly, which helps you to win games, but everyone in the team is valued and has a role to play,” he said.

Thomas Kaber was among a handful of outstanding performers.

On his form across both formats, Botha said Kaber, who is an experienced cricketer in his own right, is perfectly positioned to pass on his wealth of knowledge to other younger members of the squad.

“We have quite a few young players in our squad, so sometimes players can act as motivation for others, but once again it's just about Thomas being an experienced cricketer and there are a lot of young cricketers in our squad.

“So it’s good for them to see and learn from our more senior players, but also for our senior players to share their knowledge to help the youngsters become better cricketers,” Botha said.

The team will have just over a month to prepare for their next match, against KwazuluNatal Coastal, from December 13-16 in Durban.