Depleted Knights look to rebuild against Titans
The Chevrolet Knights, after yet another rain-affected match, are looking to build some sort of momentum when they host the Nashua Titans at the De Beers Diamond Oval on Wednesday, as they head into the business end of the Momentum One Day Cup.
“Rain is one of those things that you can’t control, but obviously there is something about us playing in Durban or Maritzburg,” coach Sarel Cilliers bemoaned of the Chevrolet Knights’ abandoned clash against the Sunfoil Dolphins on Sunday.
Aside from the rain, the Chevrolet Knights have also been hit hard by injuries, as well as the recent call-ups to the national team of both Dean Elgar and Ryan McLaren. This follows injuries to Morne van Wyk and Reeza Hendricks at the top of the order.
“We’ve now used four captains this season, and we will have to find another one for Wednesday. But, you know, it’s always a good thing if players are being called up, so we wish them the best of luck if they get a chance to perform,” Cilliers conceded.
“We will have to give a few youngsters a chance in a pressure environment, but that is the only way that they will develop as players. We have to win every game from here on, and that in a way makes it easier for us, because there are no ifs and buts,” Cilliers declared.
For the Titans, life is a lot simpler. Their emphatic, seven-wicket win over the Chevrolet Warriors on Sunday suggested that they are peaking just in time for the crucial stage of the round-robin fixtures.
“Sunday was definitely our best team performance this season,” top-order stalwart Henry Davids pointed out. “It’s important that we click now, and I think we are in very good nick coming into these next few fixtures.”
Davids has been in decent form himself, notching 161 runs at a strike rate of 83, setting his side on the way with some sparkling knocks at the top of the innings. “I feel in good form, and it’s always nice to get the guys off to a quick start when the field is up and the ball is still brand new.”
Davids also acknowledged that the Titans had been lucky to avoid the bad weather that has seemingly followed teams like the Knights around all season.
“It can’t be easy for them, but weather is one of those unfortunate things that you can’t control. Touch wood, it hasn’t affected any of our matches and hopefully that continues. It helps when you can play a full game, because then you can go for bonus points, which can make a big difference at the end.”
Davids said he and his teammates had also followed events in Adelaide closely on Monday morning.
“It was our day off, and some of us were on the golf course. We were following the game on Cricinfo very closely, and we are so proud of what Faf and the boys achieved.”
The Titans will look to get back into second place with a win in Kimberley. But their hosts, just a point adrift in the standings, will also have an eye on the No 2 spot.
Play at the De Beers Diamond Oval begins at 3pm on Wednesday.
