18 Nov WESTERN PROVINCE AND TITANS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN SEARCH OF FIRST WIN AS 4-DAY SERIES CONTINUES
JOHANNESBURG: The latest round of the 2021/22 Cricket South Africa (CSA) 4-Day Domestic Series gets underway across the country this weekend, with the Six Gun Grill Western Province and the Momentum Multiply Titans headlining round three with their clash in Cape Town commencing on Thursday, 18 November.
The match is one of seven exciting Division One and Division Two encounters taking place between 18 – 21 November, with the games streamed live on SuperSport’s YouTube Channel.
In addition to the contest at the Six Gun Grill Newlands Cricket Stadium, third-placed Hollywoodbets Dolphins take on the in-form ITEC Knights in Durban, while Gbets Warriors make the trip up to Potchefstroom to face the North West Dragons.
The Imperial Lions, the only side with a 100% record in the top tier, will host the GbetsRocks at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium as coach Wandile Gwavu and his side look to maintain their perfect start.
In the second division, log leaders Eastern Cape Iinyathi take on the dangerous Hollywoodbets Tuskers outfit at home in East London. Sixth and seventh-placed Eastern Storm and the Six Gun Grill South Western Districts faceoff in an intriguing clash, while the Limpopo Impalas-Northern Cape Heat match rounds off this week’s four-day cricket action.
Despite recording two draws in the opening two rounds, Western Province head coach, Salieg Nackerdien remained upbeat about his team’s performance and looks to go one better this weekend with a winning performance against a side they edge by eight points on the table.
“The positives we can take out of the first two games; all departments, our batting, bowling, and fielding were outstanding. The areas we identified, we executed them properly and the consistency we got in Paarl was good,” Nackerdien commented.
“We can just take it forward from here. The work ethic has been good and it’s now just to put it into play again against the Titans this coming weekend. We are really positive in terms of where our skills sets are at the moment,”
“We chatted a lot during these last couple of days in terms of our abilities and what we can offer. It is a good opportunity for all of us to showcase the talents we’re capable of and we want to play some good, decent cricket again,” the coach said.
“We need to get ourselves in the position where we can start dominating the game like in Paarl but also show we can get over the line. It is not going to be easy; the Titans are a very good side, but we will put our best foot forward for this coming week.
Like other teams this weekend, Western Province will be missing key players due to their involvement in the South Africa ‘A’ and Proteas squads that will be in action later this month.
“We are happy for all of them,” Nackerdien noted. “That’s where we want to see guys going and establishing themselves going forward. I wish them all the best. It’s been fantastic to see the guys’ performances over the last few weeks, to get that recognition and that exposure to help get them where they need to be in the future and play for South Africa,” he added.
Nackerdien’s counterpart, Mandla Mashimbyi was also constructive when assessing his Titans’ displays in the opening two fixtures, pointing out the bowling exploits as a positive as his team continues the search for that maiden red-ball victory of the season.
“The first two games were disappointing,” Mashimbyi began. “In our first game, against the Warriors, we had a horrendous first day and after that, we bossed the game, but we just couldn’t cross the line. There were some big positives to take out of it other than the fact that we couldn’t win the game.
“In the second game, on a wicket that didn’t give us much, the boys did nicely, and we bowled well. We also batted well too, although there were areas from a batting point of view that we thought needed improvement.
“From a bowling point of view, we found a template in terms of how to go about things in different conditions and what we can do as a bowling unit to create pressure. As much as the first two games were disappointing, there’s a lot of positives we can take out.
“Hopefully, things will come together for us against Western Province. We don’t underestimate any team. We think that every team in the top division is here for a reason because they are capable of winning matches as much as we are, so we will give them the due respect but at the same time, we will make sure we do what we do to win the game,” the coach concluded.
All the games get underway from 10h00 daily with the exception of the match hosted at the Hollywoodbets Dolphins which will get started from 09h00, with the latest scores available here.
Key stat lines going into Round 3:
- Eastern Cape Iinyathi batter, Jason Niemand scored this season’s highest individual score when he recorded a magnificent 321 not out (off 401 balls; 38 fours, 5 sixes) against the Mpumalanga Rhinos.
- GbetsRocks pair of Janneman Malan and Ferisco Adams have amassed this campaign’s biggest partnership for any wicket, combining for a mammoth 260 runs for the eighth wicket against the ITEC Knights
- Imperial Lions’ Malusi Siboto has the best bowling average in the competition so far (min. 30 overs), only conceding 7.25 runs per wicket taken (8)
CSA 4-Day Domestic Series:
Round 3 Fixtures (18-21 November)
Division One:
Six Gun Grill Western Province vs Momentum Multiply Titans (Six Gun Grill Newlands, Cape Town)
Hollywoodbets Dolphins vs ITEC Knights (Hollywoodbets Kingsmead, Durban)
North West Dragons vs Gbets Warriors (JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom)
Imperial Lions vs GbetsRocks (Imperial Wanderers, Johannesburg)
Division Two:
Six Gun Grill South Western Districts vs Eastern Storm (Recreation Ground, Oudtshoorn)
Eastern Cape Iinyathi vs Hollywoodbets Tuskers (Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium, East London)
Limpopo Impalas vs Northern Cape Heat (Polokwane Cricket Club, Polokwane)
Division One Table –
Division Two Table –
Six Gun Grill Western Province Head Coach – Salieg Nackerdien – https://we.tl/t-PJjJuqwHzc
CSA 4-Day Domestic Series Round Three – Preview Audio Clips –
Momentum Multiply Titans Head Coach – Mandla Mashimbyi – https://we.tl/t-Xbm8AbqzDx
ENDS
Issued by: Cricket South Africa – Corporate Communications
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