An explosive batting approach, an aggressive bowling attack hoping to use their firepower with the new ball to dent the progress by KwaZulu-Natal Inland and a ferocious pursuit of 10 match-winning bonus points will be Western Province’s clinical focus in their final Sunfoil Three-Day Cup match of the season at PPC Newlands.
The match starts on Thursday at 10:00.
Western Province, on 119.46 points, are just marginally behind Northerns. The latter will do battle at the LC de Villiers Oval in Pretoria against Northern Cape with their noses ahead on 122.22 points, courtesy of their recent innings win against the Free State which saw them bag 18.64 points.
If Western Province triumph against KwaZulu-Natal Inland or score three more bonus points than Northerns, the former will advance to the Sunfoil Thee-Day Cup final in a repeat of last season.
Salieg Nackerdien, the Western Province coach, said the hosts will have an ambitious batting approach and would even be aiming to score 550 runs in their first innings in order to achieve eight bonus points.
Striking with the new ball and using their swing and pace well with the new nut will be important, added Nackerdien.
In their past two games, Western Province have performed with aplomb, taking care of Easterns and Border with their gung-ho approach with the blade and thoughtful bowling.
Michael Cohen was impressive in his first first-class match against Border, bagging 6-49, but he is battling a groin injury. Travis Muller is on stand-by to replace him if he is ruled out of the most important match of the season for the hosts.
Pieter Malan has smashed 884 runs at an average of 110.50 for the hosts and is on the verge of striking one thousand runs in a first-class season.
“Pieter has extinguished the myth that he cannot face the bouncer and his professional approach to the new ball has seen him accelerate as soon as he had entrenched himself at the crease,” said Nackerdien.
GF Linde will have to play an enormously important role as left-arm spin bowler in conditions conducive to turn at Newlands.
“We know that if Northerns win (and score plenty of batting bonus points) we might not get to the final, but we must focus on what we can control,” said Nackerdien.
The absence of Dayyaan Galiem and Zubayr Hamza (who will represent the Buildnat Cape Cobras) will open the door to Derek Mitchell and Shaheen Khan, who will have to play out of their skin against KwaZulu-Natal Inland.
Western Province are a team that possesses the top- and middle-order prowess, but a few players need to stand up and play the role of senior stars with excellent performances.
One is Matthew Kleinveldt, who is a much better player than his average of just better than 35.5 suggests. The same is true of Mpilo Njoloza, who has taken 13 wickets in seven matches with a best of 4-35.
Admittedly, Njoloza had to play on very flat surfaces, but if he can reproduce the performance that saw him take a hat-trick on franchise debut, he could very well bowl Western Province into the Sunfoil Three-Day Cup final.
The squad is: Pieter Malan, Matthew Kleinveldt, Derek Mitchell, Neo Mlumbi, Kyle Verreynne, Shaheen Khan, GF Linde, Travis Muller/Michael Cohen, Mpilo Njoloza, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Jesse Christennsen. Thokozani Peter, Carlos Koyana.
The match starts on Thursday at 10:00.
Western Province, on 119.46 points, are just marginally behind Northerns. The latter will do battle at the LC de Villiers Oval in Pretoria against Northern Cape with their noses ahead on 122.22 points, courtesy of their recent innings win against the Free State which saw them bag 18.64 points.
If Western Province triumph against KwaZulu-Natal Inland or score three more bonus points than Northerns, the former will advance to the Sunfoil Thee-Day Cup final in a repeat of last season.
Salieg Nackerdien, the Western Province coach, said the hosts will have an ambitious batting approach and would even be aiming to score 550 runs in their first innings in order to achieve eight bonus points.
Striking with the new ball and using their swing and pace well with the new nut will be important, added Nackerdien.
In their past two games, Western Province have performed with aplomb, taking care of Easterns and Border with their gung-ho approach with the blade and thoughtful bowling.
Michael Cohen was impressive in his first first-class match against Border, bagging 6-49, but he is battling a groin injury. Travis Muller is on stand-by to replace him if he is ruled out of the most important match of the season for the hosts.
Pieter Malan has smashed 884 runs at an average of 110.50 for the hosts and is on the verge of striking one thousand runs in a first-class season.
“Pieter has extinguished the myth that he cannot face the bouncer and his professional approach to the new ball has seen him accelerate as soon as he had entrenched himself at the crease,” said Nackerdien.
GF Linde will have to play an enormously important role as left-arm spin bowler in conditions conducive to turn at Newlands.
“We know that if Northerns win (and score plenty of batting bonus points) we might not get to the final, but we must focus on what we can control,” said Nackerdien.
The absence of Dayyaan Galiem and Zubayr Hamza (who will represent the Buildnat Cape Cobras) will open the door to Derek Mitchell and Shaheen Khan, who will have to play out of their skin against KwaZulu-Natal Inland.
Western Province are a team that possesses the top- and middle-order prowess, but a few players need to stand up and play the role of senior stars with excellent performances.
One is Matthew Kleinveldt, who is a much better player than his average of just better than 35.5 suggests. The same is true of Mpilo Njoloza, who has taken 13 wickets in seven matches with a best of 4-35.
Admittedly, Njoloza had to play on very flat surfaces, but if he can reproduce the performance that saw him take a hat-trick on franchise debut, he could very well bowl Western Province into the Sunfoil Three-Day Cup final.
The squad is: Pieter Malan, Matthew Kleinveldt, Derek Mitchell, Neo Mlumbi, Kyle Verreynne, Shaheen Khan, GF Linde, Travis Muller/Michael Cohen, Mpilo Njoloza, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Jesse Christennsen. Thokozani Peter, Carlos Koyana.
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