Warriors stars to miss opening games
THE Warriors will be without all three of their Kolpak stars when Cricket South Africa’s franchise season gets off to an early start on Tuesday next week.
As a result of the six-week T20 Global League being crowbarred into the domestic season, the four-day Sunfoil Series will start three weeks earlier than normal.
The Warriors, who are in Oudtshoorn playing friendlies against the Cape Cobras, open their campaign against the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers.
Colin Ingram, Colin Ackermann and Simon Harmer will not be available for that game and the next two matches at home in Port Elizabeth – to the Cobras and away against the Titans in Benoni – due to county duties in England.
Warriors coach Malibongwe Maketa said his squad would make the best of the situation.
“The Kolpak players will miss the first three games of the season. But this will, in turn, give opportunities to the younger players,” he said yesterday.
Maketa also had to do without the Border players in his squad for preseason matches to allow them to contest the Africa T20 Cup.
“We had to release the four Border players for the Africa T20 Cup. So Chris Jonker, Aya Gqamane, Yaseen Vallie and Jerry Nqolo are also not here with us.”
But Maketa said he was satisfied with the time spent in the middle in the first two-day match against the Cobras, which finished in a draw on Sunday.
“Matthew Breetzke got a few runs and so did Eddie Moore. It was good for me to touch base with young Matthew and see what he has to offer.
“In general, it was encouraging for everybody to get out there and have a little bit of a bat.”
The Warriors start another two-day match against the Cobras today, and Maketa said he hoped to make use of the time to prepare his squad for the challenge next week.
“It’s important that we build on the past few days. We have a limited amount of time before the season starts on Tuesday, and we have not had a lot of opportunity to spend time on the grass.”
The summarised scores from the first two-day friendly were: Warriors 221 (M Breetzke 48, S Magala 40no, G Cloete 37; D Paterson 2/14, D Piedt 4/24) and 96/2 (E Moore 53no). Cobras 354/7 decl (A Puttick 100, P Malan 72, J Smit 55; A Nortje 2/31, S Magala 2/62). Match drawn