Second looks to make impact
Newly signed allrounder Rudi Second will look to make an immediate impact when he makes his Warriors debut against his former Knights teammates in a CSA 4-Day Franchise Series match in Kimberley starting on Monday.
Second signed for the Warriors during the off-season and will perform the role of wicketkeeper-batsman.
The 30-year-old righthander brings a wealth of experience and ability to the team.
He averages 45.35 with the bat in first-class cricket and will no doubt strengthen the Warriors’ middle order.
Second got some game time in at the weekend playing for Eastern Province against Easterns in Benoni, scoring 42 and 50 in the match.
He will be looking to build on that form against a Knights team he knows intimately.
Opener Eddie Moore will be aiming to back up a really good last season, when he scored more than 1,500 first-class runs, with another good run this time around.
There have been whispers about Moore being looked at by the national selectors as a possible Test opener and a solid start will do his chances of possible selection for the summer series against England the world of good.
The Warriors team are a young one and have some exciting talent within their ranks.
Jade de Klerk, Onke Nyaku, Sinethemba Qeshile, Matthew Breetzke and Lutho Sipamla will have taken heart from their performances to date and will want to contribute to a Warriors squad that are eager to excel in red ball cricket.
Coach Rivash Gobind, who is only with the team for a few more weeks, will want his charges to make an impression before he heads off to join Afghanistan’s national squad as an assistant coach.
“There are only two competitions we are playing and there are only 10 games in each, so we need to make sure we are on the money and on the button from the first game.
“That will go a long way in ensuring we are competing at the end of each competition.
“I am excited to see the development of all the guys who came in last season and made their debuts and had their first full seasons.
“I think there is a lot of potential within that group.”
The Warriors ended third on the log in 2018 and will be out to improve on that.
“We didn’t put in one of our best performances there last year, so we’ll be looking to rectify that,” Gobind said.
Seamer Sisanda Magala will miss the first two weeks of the season due to a hip injury. Squad Warriors Matthew Breetzke, Andrew Birch, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Sinethemba Qeshile, Gihahn Cloete, Yaseen Vallie, Lutho Sipamla, Jade de Klerk, Glenton Stuurman, Onke Nyaku, Eddie Moore, Rudi Second, Sithembile Langa.