LION-TAMERS
Warriors tackle kings of the jungle
THE Sunfoil Series returns from its mid-season hiatus with a bang today as the Warriors head into battle against the Lions at Buffalo Park.
Top-class cricket is on the cards, with both teams still well in the competition, with just over 23 points separating the top from the bottom of the log and, with teams able to pick up more than 20 points for a good win, with five games remaining it is still all to play for.
The Warriors will take a lot of momentum into the final games of the season after successful white ball campaigns that saw them reach a semifinal and win the one-day cup (shared with the Dolphins).
They will be looking to take that positive momentum into the next four days against the Lions.
“The guys really enjoyed getting some silverware at the end of that competition, so we are going to try and use those positive feelings to get us to the top of the Sunfoil Series,” said Warriors interim coach, Rivash Gobind.
“That being said, four-day cricket is a completely different skill set, so the guys will need to adapt to that and then we can look at finishing the season quite strong.”
The Warriors are well placed at third on the log after five draws in the season so far, and a good performance over the Lions could see them jump up the table and into top of the log contention.
“I think in four-day cricket we are just going to take it one day at a time and one game at a time and see where we end up,” said Gobind.
“We aren’t looking too far ahead. We are just going to try and take care of what is in front of us, and that is now the Lions.
“They are always very dangerous. They have been very consistent in four-day cricket over the last few years, so they are one of the top teams in this format and we are not taking them lightly at all.”
The Lions will be desperate for a win, however, as they sit bottom of the log, and are the only side to have lost a game in the five matches played so far.
Another loss for them would put them even further behind and in danger of falling out of contention.
“We’ve prepared well over the last couple of days,” said Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana.
“Yes, we remain disappointed with how the 50-over competition went for us, which was not ideal, but this is now the competition we need to put all our focus on.
“I really believe everyone, including us, has a chance. It will be key to hit the ground running and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”
The Warriors squad named for the match is almost full strength, with just one player receiving a rest.
In form players Gihahn Cloete, Lesiba Ngoepe, captain Jon Jon Smuts, Colin Ackermann and Aya Gqamane will be looking to take their white ball form into the longer format.
Fresh players such as Simon Harmer, Tladi Bokako and Lutho Sipamla have also been added to the squad and they will be raring to go.
“The only worry we have is (Sisanda) Magala. He played a lot towards the back end of the one-day competition so we have given him a break and he should be back for the next match,” said Gobind.
“It does help to keep most of the players together who played in the one-day cup. That helps with consistency. But we do have a couple of fresh players coming in which will give the team a bit of a boost and hopefully put some new energy into the mix.”
With four of the Warriors’ last five games of the season being played at home, the team will be gunning for a good win over the Lions to get their challenge off to a solid start.
Today’s first day gets under way at 10am.