Dolphins need a win – and some help
The sun will set on the Chevrolet Warriors hopes in the Momentum One-Day Cup for 2012/13 when they take on the Sunfoil Dolphins at Buffalo Park on Wednesday.
One is tempted to add the qualifier ‘weather permitting’ as the Sunfoil Dolphins have suffered three wash-outs and the Chevrolet Warriors two this season, including their first-round match against each other at Sahara Stadium Kingsmead.
The Sunfoil Dolphins could suffer the same fate of elimination, as nothing less than a win will see them with a chance of advancing to the play-off, and even that depends on the results of the matches between the Nashua Mobile Cape Cobras and the Nashua Titans in Paarl, and the encounter between the Chevrolet Knights and the bizhub Highveld Lions in Kimberley.
Chevrolet Warriors coach Piet Botha has stressed the importance of not allowing the disappointing results in the 50 over format to overshadow the remainder of the season. A victory in this match might not make any difference to the final place for the Chevrolet Warriors, as even a win with a bonus point will still see the men from the Eastern Cape finish last in the league standings.
“It is important for us to keep our momentum going,” he said, mindful of the resumption of the Sunfoil Series later in the month and the season-ending T20 series.
Davy Jacobs has been the best of their batsmen, accumulating 268 runs at an average of 38 and a useful strike rate of 92. While he has been the most consistent performer with the bat for the Chevrolet Warriors, his team might have wished he had been able to make some more of several good starts.
The picture might have been even bleaker had not Wayne Parnell started showing some glimpses of the all-round form he was always known to possess.
The bowlers have toiled away. Andrew Birch has been the star turn with the ball, capturing nineteen wickets at a highly commendable average of 18 and an economy rate of 4.8. He is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, and would like to end his season on a high note.
A disappointment has been the lack of success for the spinners. Simon Harmer has been unable to take up the lead of Johan Botha, and the Chevrolet Warriors have played their last few matches without a specialist spinner.
The Sunfoil Dolphins still have a ghost of a chance of reaching the play-offs. They will need a win, and a bonus point will do no harm; but their fate is not in their own hands as they lie fifth in the log and will depend on things going their way at the other matches.
Vaughn van Jaarsveld has been the backbone of their batting, scoring 302 runs at an average of 60. His strike rate is relatively low at a modest 73, but even a career best knock of 116 at Newlands was not enough to earn a result for his team.
Imraan Khan hit a century in the win against the Nashua Titans, but has added just 43 runs in his other three innings. Cody Chetty and David Miller have also chipped in with some useful innings, the latter playing some attractive cameos in reaching a tally of 151 runs at a strike rate of exactly 100.
The bowlers have also played their part with Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Kyle Abbott and Robbie Frylinck all producing similar figures. Craig Alexander had some useful outings before being injured.
Play is scheduled to start at 15h00.
