Warriors in must-win encounters
Home team on a good wicket
THE permutations for the Chevrolet Warriors heading into the remainder of their Ram Slam T20 Challenge cricket campaign are pretty simple. It is win or bust.
There are three round-robin matches to play and they have to win the lot if they are to stand any chance of progressing to the playoffs.
Their mission starts with a testing fixture against the Cape Cobras at St George’s Park tonight (6pm) but the squad will have an air of confidence about them after some recent results.
There have been two wins and a tie in their last four matches. This certainly does not signal a complete revival in their fortunes, but it is a move in the right direction and is encouraging. A win against the table-topping Cobras tonight will go some way towards re-establishing some spectator confidence in them.
Captain Colin Ingram believes matters can only get better.
“We are playing with a lot more momentum now. We seem to have figured it out. I’m very confident going into the next couple of games because things seem to be clicking and the guys are in a good space,” Ingram said.
“We are keen to get some more points and keep the competition alive. We know we have to win all of them and that’s a good place for us to be in. We have to fight as hard as we can.”
Cobras opening batsman Richard Levi stands out as a real threat to Ingram’s aspirations for his team.
“They rely on Levi to get them a good start and [Dane] Vilas has been in good form with the bat. Their bowlers have done well but I would say they are less experienced. If Craig [Kieswetter], Jon-Jon [Smuts] and myself can get off to a good start, we can really put them under pressure.”
Ingram says the recent victory against the Dolphins at St George’s Park is still fresh in their memories.
“Coming off a win in our last game here at St George’s stands us in good stead. We had a great chase against the Dolphins here so we have a good feeling going into this game.”
After tonight, the Warriors head to Bloemfontein to play their part in a triple-header bill. They face the Titans, who they tied with at the weekend.
“Personally, I’ve had a lot of success in Bloem and so has JonJon. So we are looking forward to playing there as well,” Ingram said.
Rory Kleinveldt replaces Shaheen Khan in the Cobras’ 13-man squad for tonight’s match.
“We discussed our performances and the requirements at the back-end of the competition,” captain Justin Ontong said. “We realise we cannot become complacent. Two or three excellent performances by the Warriors and we will be on the losing end.
“We are about 20 % off the performances of teams who are considered heavyweights in the Champions League Twenty20.
“We have made great starts, but the middle-order is still not doing that well.
“I am one of the players that need to stick up his hand,” Ontong said. The squads are: Warriors: Colin Ackermann, Ryan Bailey, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Colin Ingram (capt), Christiaan Jonker, Craig Kieswetter, Sisanda Magala, Lundi Mbane, Somila Seyibokwe, JonJon Smuts, Rusty Theron, Mohammed Vallie, Basheer Walters
Cobras: Justin Ontong (capt), Andrew Puttick, Dane Paterson, Dane Vilas, Ferisco Adams, George Linde, Kieron Pollard, Lizaad Williams, Mthokozisi Shezi, Omphile Ramela, Richard Levi, Rory Kleinveldt, Sybrand Engelbrecht.