Albie keen to turn up the Heat

THE DURBAN Heat are feeling a lot better about their chances with the news that their captain may well make a swift recovery for their Mzansi Super League clash against Paarl Rocks.

“Albie (Morkel) is very bullish about his chances of playing on Wednesday (7pm),” coach Grant Morgan said cheerfully.

“It has been diagnosed that he has severe bruising and in his mind he wants to play, but we will wait to make that call.”

That was another endorsement of the captain’s influence. They will give him every chance to be ready to play the crucial contest.

“We’ve seen what he has given us through his performances so far in the competition, so he is going to do everything in his power to be ready,” Morgan added.

Should Morkel take his place in the line-up, there will be significantly more cheer in the home dressing room.

With Morkel there to add steel to the middle order, the Heat will feel in a strong position to change their fortunes.

Despite the challenges, there are still plenty of good vibes.

“The mentality of the team hasn’t changed from the start of the tournament,” spinner Keshav Maharaj said.

“We have looked to be really positive and have trained hard, so it isn’t a question of work ethic or anything like that.”

The problem for the Heat is their batting. They have had several false starts, and that has hampered any progress the bowling has made in all three matches.

“There is a good core of senior players and youth but we haven’t quite clicked on the batting front,” said senior batsman David Miller.

Miller himself has been short of runs, especially after the form he showed in Australia. If he can fire, along with a powerful middle-order, the Heat may unlock the potential that lies deep within the squad.

They will be pushed hard by the Paarl Rocks, led by national captain Faf du Plessis. The men from Paarl also made a slow start, but they took significant joy from defeating the Cape Town Blitz on Sunday.