Double mission awaits Warriors
THE Chevrolet Warriors' pursuit of a second consecutive Sunfoil Series victory will be propelled by a dual purpose when they meet the Cobras at Newlands in Cape Town, starting today.
Firstly, the team would like nothing better than to present retiring captain Ashwell Prince with a win over his former franchise in his final match for the Warriors.
Secondly, the knowledge that they are out of the running in the competition and that the Cobras are still very much in it should provide coach Piet Botha's side with the necessary motivation to derail their opponents' campaign.
For the Warriors, returning to play at Newlands will be somewhat of a treat.
"It's going to be great to play at Newlands because we haven't played there since about 2008," Botha said. "In recent years we've played our four-day cricket in Paarl, so that's a new challenge for us."
One Warrior who may wish they were still playing in Paarl is Simon Harmer. The offspinner returns to the team after a one-match suspension in place of Colin Ingram, who is sitting out because of the birth of his child. Harmer took 11 wickets in Paarl two seasons back, an effort which helped him to become the competition's leading wicket-taker with 44 scalps.
And Harmer may frown upon the fact that Cape Town has been battered by rain in recent days and preparation time has been minimal, according to reports. This means the pitch is likely to be a sporting one for seamers and the hosts will be disappointed not to have Vernon Philander in their ranks for this crucial game.
The Proteas paceman has been granted compassionate leave due to a death in his family, leaving Paul Adams to ponder whether he should change the make-up of his bowling attack, which included two spinners in the last outing.
"We might look to tweak it, but I prefer to make a call on the morning of the game," Adams said.
"I think conditions will aid seam very much with all the moisture around, especially as there hasn't been much sun in the last few days."
The Cobras will go into the clash with the same squad that lost to the Chevrolet Knights two weeks ago, a result that has left the fate of the competition in the balance. The Knights now trail the Cobras by fewer than five points with two rounds of matches remaining.
But the Warriors feel that they are in good form after their 174-run victory over the Lions two weeks ago and will be eager to repeat that performance.
Meanwhile, the Lions are likely to hand a franchise debut to South Africa U19 star Kagiso Rabada when they travel to play the Dolphins in Durban.
Rabada played a key role as South Africa lifted the U19 World Cup at the start of the month, most notably taking 6 for 25 in the semifinal against Australia in Dubai.
The Knights are confident their captain, Johannes van der Wath, will be fit to play against the Titans, but are likely to make do without Ryan McLaren and Dean Elgar.
Van der Wath has made steady progress after missing the last two four-day games with a hamstring injury, and looks set to lead a side who are putting up a rare challenge for silverware.
However, pace bowler McLaren and batsman Elgar continue to struggle with injuries picked up on Proteas duty earlier this month. - Alvin Reeves
