NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS

Home ground: St George’s Park Cricket Ground, Port Elizabeth Hometown hero Jon-Jon Smuts captains the side that also includes the energetic Imran Tahir, all-rounder Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso and England blaster Jason Roy.

The Giants are coached by former Proteas coach Eric Simons, who’s hoping the passionate home crowd will be their 12th man in their goal to reach the knockout round of the competition. The team is currently second on the log*.

“The atmosphere at the ground is going to be crucial as there’s a real vibe in the stadium,” he says.

“Everyone talks about the local flavour created by the band and the intimate nature of the ground and I have no doubt that can be an extra man for us. It’s important to win the fans over and you do that by playing exciting cricket. Obviously winning helps, so creating a favourable impression is a big priority for our squad.” * Log results were correct at the time of going to print.