Warriors need to bat better
THE Chevrolet Warriors will be hoping to avoid a recurrence of the unwelcome events of Bloemfontein when they face the Titans in a Sunfoil Series cricket fixture in Benoni starting today.
Colin Ingram's side were cleaned up inside three days away to the Knights last weekend in a match where 19 wickets fell on a spiteful opening day.
The surface at Willowmoore Park is likely to come under close scrutiny before the toss this morning.
You never know what kind of pitch you'll be presented with in Benoni, which makes a decision whether to bat or bowl first difficult.
It has proved tough to bat there in the past – the last thing the Warriors will want. Ingram believes reading the conditions and adapting to them quickly will be key.
"We don't like to guess too much because in the years I've played in Benoni you can often look at a wicket and it will be different from what you thought," he said. "It can look flat and then it goes around, and other times it's the other way round.
"Early season it can turn there as well, so our main focus is to have a look on the first day and see where it's going."
Coach Piet Botha admitted the side had not batted well in the second innings in Bloemfontein. There would have been some planning and discussion around that this week.
Opener Vuyisa Makhaphela will aim to get off the mark for the season after collecting two ducks against the Knights, while his partner Michael Price will want to contribute more than the 14 runs he made in Bloemfontein.
The Warriors lost early wickets in both innings, placing them under pressure from the outset. Botha will again have impressed on his charges that partnerships are key to success.
The injured Wayne Parnell will be sorely missed but Sisanda Magala, likely to replace him, will have an opportunity to transfer his prolific wicket-taking of last season for Eastern Province to franchise level.
Henry Davids looks set to return to captain the Titans after sitting out the season opener due to shaky form.
Davids and coach Rob Walter apparently made a decision together to leave the batsman out for the game against the Lions last weekend, which the Titans lost by 190 runs, following a difficult 2013-14 campaign in which he averaged less than 20.
In Potchefstroom, the Knights will be without two key middle-order batsmen when they play the Lions.
New father Rilee Rossouw will sit out the game, while Pite van Biljon is facing a spell on the sidelines after going over on his ankle.
Captain Stephen Cook is not expecting major changes for today.
"We won't depart very far from our winning team – I think we'll stick pretty close to it. We're just waiting on one final selection call." – Alvin Reeves. Additional reporting by Cricket SA
