Warriors confident ahead of Cobras clash
FRESH off a solid victory in their opening T20 Challenge cricket fixture, the Warriors will be bursting with confidence as they take on the Cobras in Cape Town tonight (6pm).
Captain Jon-Jon Smuts said there was a good vibe flowing through the camp and his charges would be looking to build on their bonus-point victory over the Dolphins in Durban at the weekend.
“It was a perfect start against the Dolphins. We could not have asked for a better start if we are honest,” he said yesterday.
“We won the toss, a good start, and the bowlers did their jobs.
“We won it with a bonus point with the bat.”
Smuts said they would discuss the surface and decide on the starting lineup but they could go for an unchanged lineup.
“We’ve got the same squad. We haven’t discussed the pitch yet.
“We start at 6pm, but the squad is in a good space. We are looking forward to the challenge.”
The Warriors have competed well at Newlands in recent times and the venue does not have the hold on opposition players it might have had in the past.
“Cape Town has been very much a stronghold for the Cobras, but of late our guys have started playing some good cricket there.
“In our last 50-over match, there we chased 260 with about five overs to spare.
“In the four-day game the other day we really batted well and got 500-plus.”
The Cobras’ problems in their camp have been well documented this season.
Unfortunately for them, the discord among their playing and coaching staff has filtered into their results.
The Cobras lost their first match against the Knights and then came unstuck against the Titans mid-week.
“It won’t be distracting at all,” Smuts said of the Cobras’ issues.
“The team just need to play the way we have been and execute our plans.”
It has been a torrid start for the hosts and they will be hoping their West Indian professional Kieron Pollard can step up to the plate for them.
“He’s been in South Africa for the last few years and he’s an international player, so we’ve seen a lot of him,” Smuts said.
“He’s got a lot of danger factor with the bat and he’s very handy with the ball.
“He’s someone we will have to plan for.”
Warriors squad:
Jon-Jon Smuts (capt), Colin Ackermann, Andrew Birch, Clyde Fortuin, Aya Gqamane, Simon Harmer, Colin Ingram, Christiaan Jonker, Sisanda Magala, Lesiba Ngoepe, Solomzi Nqweni, Somila Seyibokwe, Basheer Walters