The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants will want to hit the ground running when they play their historic opening Mzansi Super League T20 cricket fixture against the Jozi Stars at the Wanderers on Saturday (7pm).
A fast start will be important but there are plenty of unknowns heading into the first encounter for both teams, including how the hastily assembled opposition team will pull together and what their first lineups will be.
What the Warriors do know for sure is that Imran Tahir, Chris Morris and Jason Roy will not be playing in the first game in Johannesburg – so it will be up to the remainder of the squad to fly the flag until the Proteas duo of Morris and Tahir join up with them in Cape Town on Monday for the second fixture against Cape Town Blitz on Wednesday.
The Stars are also without key Proteas men in Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius and Reeza Hendricks but they will have Chris Gayle, who, at 39, is still in demand at T20 tournaments around the world.
Giants coach Eric Simons alluded to Gayle during a media conference this week, but made it clear his first objective is to concentrate on what his own squad has to offer.
“We obviously need to focus very much on what we have and from there we build a game plan,” Simons said.
“We understand who they are and what they’ve got. We heard Chris Gayle is playing, so that’s added a new dimension to their team.
“But they’ve got some big names missing as well.
“I think the important thing from us is that we are firmly focused on what our skills are and then we look at what our opposition are about.
“So we don’t want to overfocus on that but obviously it’s a very important game, that very first one,” the former SA all-rounder said.
The Giants have plenty of quality in their squad and should give a good account of themselves in the tournament.
From a batting perspective skipper Jon-Jon Smuts is likely to lead from the front with Englishman Ben Duckett, followed by the likes of Heino Kuhn, Rudi Second, Christiaan “The Finisher” Jonker and possibly the hard-hitting Marco Marais.
In the bowling department Junior Dala and Sisanda Magala are backed up by Ryan McLaren, Lizaard Williams and spinners Aaron Phangiso and Smuts.
Simons says the squad has gelled well and is expecting a united front from the word go.
Squads
NMB GIANTS: Imran Tahir, Jason Roy, Chris Morris, Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Junior Dala, Christiaan Jonker, Aaron Phangiso, Ben Duckett, Sisanda Magala, Ryan McLaren, Heino Kuhn, Marco Marais, Dyllan Matthews, Lizaard Williams, Rudi Second, Carmi le Roux
JOZI STARS: Kagiso Rabada, Chris Gayle, Dane Vilas (capt), Rassie van der Dussen, Daniel Christian, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Eddie Leie, Pite van Biljon, Duanne Olivier, Ryan Rickelton, Sinethemba Qeshile, Simon Harmer, Calvin Savage, Alfred Mothoa. TV: Live on SABC3 from 7pm