The Nashua Cape Cobras know that they must find the formula to crack the Chevrolet Warriors if they are to finish the RAM SLAM T20 round robin phase in the fashion required to secure a home final.
In a strange scheduling twist, the two sides will meet twice in six days over the last three rounds of the competition - first in a televised encounter at St. George’s Park on Friday night; then in Paarl on Wednesday.
The Cobras currently lead the table by two points with three games to play, but face a Warriors side that has found form in the second half of the tournament, and which will be motivated by the need for three straight victories to stay in the running for the playoffs.
“I think the Warriors are always dangerous, and we’ve got them twice in the coming week so it’s important that we get our game plans right,” Cobras coach Paul Adams said.
“They possess some match-winners in that squad and it’s important that we pitch up with the right energy and make our presence felt.”
Home ground advantage has played a big part in the competition thus far, with just three away victories being registered - a statistic only partly compromised by the fact that four games have been played on neutral ground during triple-headers.
For Warriors coach, Piet Botha, the advantage of Friday’s game being played In Port Elizabeth is not so much to do with the conditions on the field as the support from the stands.
“The big thing for us is that we get a lot of encouragement from the crowd, especially in this format of the game, and that’s a major motivational factor for the players,” he said. “Games between us and the Cobras at St. George’s have often been close affairs, so hopefully that support can help to get us over the line.”
With the Proteas players only set to return to action in Sunday’s triple-header in Bloemfontein, both sides have retained the same squads for Friday.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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