Buoyed by their dramatic victory in their previous CSA 4-Day Domestic Series encounter, the Hollywoodbets Dolphins will face the second placed GBets Warriors at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium from 27-30 January.
The Dolphins were finally able to complete a match and it ended with an emphatic win over the table-topping Imperial Lions with captain Marques Ackerman starring with the bat in the fourth innings in Durban.
This week’s clash will be equally tough with the Warriors side sitting just behind the Lions on the table after four wins and one loss from their five matches so far this season.
Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo and batsman Sarel Erwee will both be available for the clash with the Warriors giving the Dolphins a much-needed boost going into the clash starting on Thursday.
“It’s fantastic to see how Andile performed in the ODI series against India where he finished as the leading wicket-taker,” Dolphins assistant coach Quinton Friend said.
“It’s a massive boost for him and he can take a lot of confidence away from that series and it’s always nice having these players coming back into the Dolphins environment and sharing their knowledge and putting in good performances for us.
“SJ is really up for this game against the Warriors and has trained really well and he’s come back from the Proteas set-up in a really good space where he worked on one or two things and he’s just happy to be part of the Dolphins again.”
The Warriors have won four of their five matches this campaign and will come to Hollywoodbets Kingsmead in high spirits but for Friend focusing on the opposition will not be beneficial to the Dolphins.
“The Warriors are obviously a very good outfit coached by Robin Peterson who is a really good coach and obviously we respect our opposition and they are a well-drilled team all round.
“We haven’t put too much focus on the Warriors themselves and try and focus more on ourselves and the way that we want to go about things.
“We know what is coming our way and we just need to make sure that we are on top of our game,” Friend added.
The Dolphins have included the young Slade van Staden in their squad as positive Covid-19 infections have forced a few changes to the squad that played the Lions.
Squad vs Warriors
Sarel Erwee, Grant Roelofsen, Thando Ntini, Slade van Staden, Marques Ackerman, Thamsanqa Khumalo, Jason Smith, Andile Phehlukwayo, Hlompo Modimokoane, Eathan Bosch, Daryn Dupavillon, Kerwin Mungroo, Ottniel Baartman, Odirile Modimokoane
