Warriors keen to up the tempo and bounce back
COACH Malibongwe Maketa says the Warriors will be out to improve on all their skills when they clash with the Highveld Lions at St George’s Park this evening.
The Warriors started their Ram Slam T20 campaign with a nailbiting victory over the Knights in Cape Town but have since lost two matches.
Their most recent defeat was a telling one but the Warriors have played enough good cricket this season to suggest they have the ability to bounce back against the Lions tonight.
However, Maketa says his team will have to step it up a gear if they are to achieve that.
“We do need to improve every facet of the game. In line with the culture we have, we want to get better with every game. All round, we need to pick it up 10% in each skill,” Maketa said yesterday.
“We started the season really well and the guys have been in a good space from the first game.
“This past weekend [against the Dolphins] was one of those games where we were outplayed and we are at peace with that. We gave the best we could and it was pleasing that we kept fighting until the end. We are confident we can pull things back.”
Maketa said management would look at conditions today and then decide the balance of the team.
Captain Colin Ingram hinted there may be some changes to the starting line-up.
“There may be one or two changes. We need to get a win on the board and playing at St George’s maybe we need to freshen things up,” said Ingram.
The Warriors skipper added that the batsmen needed to perform at a higher level.
“We need to work on our finishing. We also need to step it up on the batting side and a couple of us need to get some big scores again.”
Ingram realises the need to pick up a victory tonight to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
“We hit a bit of a pothole but in the game against the Cobras we played some really good cricket but just ended up a couple short which was a pity. Then we ran into some quality batters there in Durbs and they put us under pressure. We need to bounce back quickly. It’s a short tournament and it speeds up as you go along so we need to get a win on the board.”
The other game tonight, pits the Knights against the Titans in Bloemfontein.