EP thrilled to be back in mix
● Coach banking on momentum for Boland clash
Eastern Province coach Piet Botha believes momentum will be key as his side kick off a busy period starting against Boland at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth from Thursday.
Speaking on Wednesday ahead of final preparations for the Boland match, Botha said the lack of game time prior to the clash had been frustrating.
The team had a mixed bag of results in their last match, against Northerns in Pretoria in January, drawing the threeday game, before suffering a 50-run defeat in the One-Day Cup match.
Botha hopes to see his team get back to winning ways as they welcome the Western Cape side to the Bay.
“It’s frustrating at the moment because we are playing in patches. We would like to get some momentum going in terms of the amount of cricket we’re playing,” he said.
“This month should be a bit better as we have about three games and I think we have prepared well for the season, but it’s just about getting rhythm.”
Botha said they would look to stick to what they know this weekend in terms of their own game and be as competitive as they can be.
“I would say we are just excited to get back on the park and play.
“We know what we have done well so far and we are also aware of the small things we look to improve.”
Botha preferred not to reflect too much on the Northerns match, although he has called for improvements in the batting department.
“I think we just need a bit more confidence in our batting.
“I think we have always been a good defending side in 50-over cricket, but lately we haven’t really been stamping our authority on the batting.
“So that is one area we will look to work on and improve.”
To keep the competitive juices flowing, Botha said the team continued their normal practice sessions, which were centred around fitness work.
“We do a lot of fitness, and we practise every week. We also played an academy game last Wednesday, apart from the club cricket the guys play.
“It was a chance to get another competitive game in because we do everything we can to make sure the guys are properly prepared.”
On the injury front, he said Kelly Smuts would undergo a fitness test on Thursday after struggling with a foot issue.
He said any new faces coming into the squad would be determined by the Warriors’ team selection for the upcoming Momentum One-Day Cup, which starts this week.