The Knights’ 2012/13 Sunfoil Series campaign was very much a case of wondering what might have been, but coach Sarel Cilliers is pleased with the way things are shaping up ahead of today’s opening game in the 2013/14 edition against the Chevrolet Warriors at Buffalo Park.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Three four-day matches were abandoned without a ball being bowled last season, all of them involving the Knights, while Cilliers’ team were also involved in three drawn matches.
That left few opportunities to advance a claim that they were better than their fifth-placed finish suggested, but now Cilliers feels they are ready to make the most of what the new season offers.
“Some of the guys who were released for senior provincial cricket over the weekend had some time in the middle, which was great to see, while others were rained out in Durban,” he said of the last round of provincial three-day games.
“The rest that remained behind spent three days in a camp to prepare. We had some good wickets, and we’ve had HD Ackerman in as a consultant, so the preparation has been exactly what we needed.”
Although the Knights finished fifth in the Momentum One-Day Cup, they at least ended on a high as they comfortably beat the bizhub Highveld Lions in their final match.
That cannot be said for the Warriors, who suffered a huge loss to The Unlimited Titans and saw their play-off place snatched from their grasp. Coach Piet Botha is hoping his players can put that behind them.
“I think the important point for us is to try to reach our goals for each competition,” he said. “Although we didn’t manage that in the first one, we’ve already set our goals for the second one.
“Also the fact that we improved quite nicely in the four-day game last season gives us a lot of motivation and encouragement to continue in that vein.”
HEAD TO HEAD – Chevrolet Warriors vs. Chevrolet Knights
Matches Played 18
Warriors Win 04
Knights Win 06
Draw 08
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.
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James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
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