A confident Chevrolet Warriors team will look to break their winless duck in the Sunfoil series when they take on a strong Sunfoil Dolphins side in their four-day match at Buffalo Park from today.
The Eastern Cape's premier cricket team are still looking for their first win in the competition, and they will be going all out to claim a result in their fourth match.
“The guys are confident,” said Warriors interim coach Malibongwe Maketa. “In the last game we played we had a very good game and were pushing for the victory so we want to continue with the momentum from that game,”
The Warriors suffered two losses in their opening two games in the competition before an entertaining draw with the Dolphins in Durban just before the Christmas break.
“It was good that we had a break, the guys are fresh, we have had a good few days of training and we are ready to go,” said Maketa.
The Dolphins have since played the Titans, who they thrashed by an innings and 54 runs.
The Warriors, second-from-bottom, will have to be at their best if they want to get a result and make their way back up the Sunfoil Series log. The Dolphins, one place ahead and having played a game less, will want to keep their good start that saw them claim the draw against the Warriors before their win over the Titans.
The Warriors will be missing two key players in off-spinner, Simon Harmer, who had success for the Proteas in their recent Test against the West Indies. Wayne Parnell has also been omitted ahead of the naming of the Proteas World Cup team and SA A teams named in Cape Town last night.
“It will be a bit different from the last game with a few of their guys missing and a few of us missing, but we know what to expect from them,” said Maketa.
Exciting young Border all-rounder, Gionne Koopman, has been brought into the squad and could be in line for his first start for the Warriors. With Jon-Jon Smuts and the occasional twirls of Colin Ackermann as the only viable spin options for the Warriors could give Koopman the chance to showcase his talent and play a big part in the team if selected.
“We have not selected our starting XI yet, myself the captain and the groundsman will have a chat later today (yesterday) and make a final call on the team then,” claimed Maketa.
“It has been my first time working with Gionne and I really like what I see. We called him in as spinning back-up as we are missing Simon Harmer and he is in the reckoning for selection.”
Captain Colin Ingram will look to lead his team from the front as the number three is in good form.
Ingram has so far racked up 326 runs in six innings at an average of 54.33 and has hit one century and two half-centuries for the team.
Smuts, Michael Price and David White will also be keen to get among the runs, while Border batsman Somila Seyibokwe has found runs difficult to come by in the middle-order and he will be very keen to impress, especially being back on his home ground.
On the bowling side, Andrew Birch, Sisanda Magala and Basheer Walters will lead the charge, while Border's Aya Gqamane will be keen to impress and solidify his place in the team after making his way back from injury last year with some good performances for Border.
Warriors Squad: Colin Ackermann, David White, Michael Price, Ryan Bailey, Jon-Jon Smuts, Colin Ingram (capt), Somila Seyibokwe, Sisanda Magala, Aya Gqamane, Basheer Walters, Andrew Birch, Gionne Koopman
Warriors out to break their duck
The Eastern Cape's premier cricket team are still looking for their first win in the competition, and they will be going all out to claim a result in their fourth match.
“The guys are confident,” said Warriors interim coach Malibongwe Maketa. “In the last game we played we had a very good game and were pushing for the victory so we want to continue with the momentum from that game,”
The Warriors suffered two losses in their opening two games in the competition before an entertaining draw with the Dolphins in Durban just before the Christmas break.
“It was good that we had a break, the guys are fresh, we have had a good few days of training and we are ready to go,” said Maketa.
The Dolphins have since played the Titans, who they thrashed by an innings and 54 runs.
The Warriors, second-from-bottom, will have to be at their best if they want to get a result and make their way back up the Sunfoil Series log. The Dolphins, one place ahead and having played a game less, will want to keep their good start that saw them claim the draw against the Warriors before their win over the Titans.
The Warriors will be missing two key players in off-spinner, Simon Harmer, who had success for the Proteas in their recent Test against the West Indies. Wayne Parnell has also been omitted ahead of the naming of the Proteas World Cup team and SA A teams named in Cape Town last night.
“It will be a bit different from the last game with a few of their guys missing and a few of us missing, but we know what to expect from them,” said Maketa.
Exciting young Border all-rounder, Gionne Koopman, has been brought into the squad and could be in line for his first start for the Warriors. With Jon-Jon Smuts and the occasional twirls of Colin Ackermann as the only viable spin options for the Warriors could give Koopman the chance to showcase his talent and play a big part in the team if selected.
“We have not selected our starting XI yet, myself the captain and the groundsman will have a chat later today (yesterday) and make a final call on the team then,” claimed Maketa.
“It has been my first time working with Gionne and I really like what I see. We called him in as spinning back-up as we are missing Simon Harmer and he is in the reckoning for selection.”
Captain Colin Ingram will look to lead his team from the front as the number three is in good form.
Ingram has so far racked up 326 runs in six innings at an average of 54.33 and has hit one century and two half-centuries for the team.
Smuts, Michael Price and David White will also be keen to get among the runs, while Border batsman Somila Seyibokwe has found runs difficult to come by in the middle-order and he will be very keen to impress, especially being back on his home ground.
On the bowling side, Andrew Birch, Sisanda Magala and Basheer Walters will lead the charge, while Border's Aya Gqamane will be keen to impress and solidify his place in the team after making his way back from injury last year with some good performances for Border.
Warriors Squad: Colin Ackermann, David White, Michael Price, Ryan Bailey, Jon-Jon Smuts, Colin Ingram (capt), Somila Seyibokwe, Sisanda Magala, Aya Gqamane, Basheer Walters, Andrew Birch, Gionne Koopman
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