Following their first win of the Mzansi Super League on Wednesday, the Durban Heat head to St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Friday evening for a showdown with the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants.
Both sides have the same record after two games with a win and a loss to their names, however the Giants sit just about the Heat on the log in third place due to a superior run rate.
Wednesday saw the Giants go down to the Cape Town Blitz at Newlands and despite the loss, Heat captain Albie Morkel believes that they have a dangerous side – especially with the return of their international players.
“They’ve got a couple of Proteas back now including Chris Morris, and Imran Tahir, who will definitely strengthen their side,” Morkel said.
“I still think at this early stage of the tournament it is difficult to pick a [favourite] side. They are all really good on paper and we might have seen a few upsets already.”
The competition is still in its infancy and the Heat still have to navigate their way through seven more games following Friday’s showdown. As they head into the demanding schedule of the next few weeks the captain is keeping the focus narrow.
“There isn’t a trend in the competition yet and I think it’s dangerous to think too far ahead in T20 cricket so we’ll just take it game by game.
“Hopefully if our energies are right then we can go and get on a roll and win six or seven games but we aren’t looking past Friday’s game against the Giants.”
Heat seamer and Wednesday’s Powerade Man of the Match Kyle Abbott spent a season with the Warriors in Port Elizabeth so understands the conditions. He believes that there shouldn’t be any surprises for the team when they arrive in the Friendly City.
“To be honest I don’t think that St George’s has changed much through the years,” Abbott said. “We will probably expect something a little low and slow.
“It generally is a bit slow and there is a big boundary but it’s all going to come down to the team that adapts to the conditions quickest.”
Durban Heat Fixtures:
- 23 Nov 19:00 Nelson Mandela Giants v Durban Heat St George’s, Port Elizabeth
- 28 Nov 19:00 Durban Heat v Paarl Rocks Kingsmead, Durban
- 30 Nov 19:00 Jozi Stars v Durban Heat Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
- 02 Dec 11:00 Paarl Rocks v Durban Heat Eurolux Boland Park, Paarl
- 05 Dec 19:00 Durban Heat v Nelson Mandela Giants Kingsmead, Durban
- 07 Dec 14:00 Durban Heat v Jozi Stars Kingsmead, Durban
- 09 Dec 15:30 Cape Town Blitz v Durban Heat PPC Newlands, Cape Town
- 12 Dec 19:00 Tshwane Spartans v Durban Heat SuperSport Park, Centurion
Durban Heat Squad:
- Hashim Amla, Rashid Khan, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Kyle Abbott, Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Albie Morkel, Marchant de Lange, Vernon Philander, Brandon Mavuta, Temba Bavuma, Morné van Wyk, Okuhle Cele, Sarel Erwee, Tladi Bokako.
Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketpro.co.za and at Kingsmead Stadium.
More information can be found at www.durbanheat.co.za.
