Dolphins hoping to bounce back in jam-packed T20 fortnight:
Durban – The Hollywoodbets Dolphins begin an intense phase of their CSA T20 Challenge campaign when they play six matches in twelve days, starting with a showdown with the Warriors at Kingsmead on Wednesday evening followed by a match with the Multiply Titans in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday.
Two points from their rained out game against the Titans was all that the Dolphins came home with but being back at home in familiar surroundings will be the boost they need.
Coach Grant Morgan believes that the competition can turn 180 degrees in no time and given the recent results there is a lot that can change in a short period of time.
“The nature of the tournament at this time of year is that is can be unpredictable,” Morgan said.
“Playing this late in the season means that the guys have played a lot of cricket. Don’t get me wrong there is still the excitement, but weather patterns are changing and lots of matches back-to-back making it a tough competition.
“The teams that can deal with those situations and also getting selection patterns right will be the successful teams during the tournament.”
The Dolphins went into the competition with an enlarged training squad and they have a number of players to call on should the workload become an issue.
“With these quick turnarounds the bowlers do have the opportunity to rest a bit more, should they need to.
“We have a large, functional squad to choose from with a busy run-in to the end of the pool phase of the tournament,” the coach added.
The Dolphins have been without the services of Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo for the first part of the T20 Challenge but Morgan hopes that the influential star will be available for the rest of the campaign.
“It’s a pity we haven’t had Andile so far because he is a three-in-one cricketer and has been in great form.
“We are quite confident that he will be right to come back into the side.”
With a strong bowling line-up that has got the Dolphins into good positions they will be hoping that their batsmen can back that up in their final six games of the competition.
Currently, Prenelan Subrayen is tied for third with five wickets so far in the competition, at an impressive economy rate of 5.25 runs per over.
The Hollywoodbets Dolphins face the Warriors at Kingsmead on Wednesday. The first ball will be bowled at 18:00.
Hollywoodbets Dolphins v Warriors
Sarel Erwee, Morne Van Wyk, Cody Chetty, Khaya Zondo (c), Marques Ackerman, Andile Phehlukwayo, Robert Frylinck, Keshav Maharaj, Prenelan Subrayen, Daryn Dupavillon, Sibonelo Makhanya.
The post Dolphins hoping to bounce back in jam-packed T20 fortnight appeared first on Hollywoodbets Dolphins.
FRUSTRATED MORGAN AIMS FOR BIG WARRIORS SHOWING:
Hollywoodbets Dolphins coach Grant Morgan remains a frustrated figure following their iffy start to the CSA T20 Challenge and hopes that his side can drive home some of the many advantages they have held when they welcome the Warriors to Durban on Wednesday.
The KwaZulu-Natal side won their first match of the campaign 10 days ago, but it has been defeat-rain-defeat since then, which has left them second bottom on the standings.
They currently have just six points from four matches and need to get a move on if they want to have a chance of reaching the play-offs.
With the competition reaching halfway at Kingsmead after this game, there is still plenty to do and Morgan knows it. “We should have won the last two games because we are doing a lot of good things in the games,” he said. “We’re putting sides under pressure, but still it seems that we’re chasing a lot.”
The Dolphins beat the VKB Knights in their opening fixture, before losing to the bizhub Highveld Lions, sharing the spoils of a wash-out against the Multiply Titans and then suffering another setback to the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras.
“There was rain around in that first game and the game could have been a stop-start affair and again at Newlands there were some patches on the wicket, but again we’re doing a lot of good things,” Morgan added.
“We’re getting early breakthroughs and putting the pressure on, but we just haven’t finished games. We’ll be hoping to do that on Wednesday. It’s another opportunity for sure.”
Their opponents, the Warriors, also have worries. After receiving the rub of the green in their opening DLS win over reigning champions the Titans, their game against the Knights was washed out, followed by defeat to the Cobras and another abandonment versus the Lions.
“The weather hasn’t been kind to us,” coach Rivash Gobind said. “We’ve had a lot of interruptions, but it’s not something we can control. In saying that, we hope that we can get all the overs in tomorrow and push for a result.”
Assessing the Dolphins, who the Warriors have tended to boss in recent seasons – they have a 12-6 win-loss record – Gobind felt they would offer a stiff challenge. “Our paths have been very similar over the past two to three years,” he concluded. “It’s a similar sort of group and mindset. But they’re always up for it, especially in their home conditions where they will be stronger. They know how to play it well.
“They also use it to their advantage. I mean Kingsmead has changed over the years and it’s not the traditional surface as we know it. It’s slow and low, so we ‘ll have to adapt as always and do our best to compete.”
HEAD TO HEAD – Hollywoodbets Dolphins v Warriors
Matches Played 20
Dolphins Win 06
Warriors Win 12
Tie 01
No Result 01
The post FRUSTRATED MORGAN AIMS FOR BIG WARRIORS SHOWING appeared first on Hollywoodbets Dolphins.
Fill in the form below to have your blog featured on MyDurban – we will post a snippet and title link to your new blog posts.
Submit and get free press releases here: MyPR Free Press Release | Meet the Durban Bloggers.
