Tag: Malibongwe Maketa

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Dolphins, Warriors share MODC CUP

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins and the Warriors will share the Momentum One-Day Cup after the reserve day on Saturday, as was the case with the clash on Friday, was abandoned due to rain.

No play was possible on Saturday as the outfield was drenched after steady drizzle throughout the morning.

On Friday, the Dolphins accumulated 154 for six in 39.4 overs, and Senuran Muthusamy produced a composed half-century to rescue them after Andrew Birch, with 2-29, had rocked the top-order and had them wobbling on 48 for four.

On Saturday, it rained steadily during the morning and a wet outfield denied the finalists any on-field action.

Remarkably, two teams shared the spoils in the Momentum One-Day Cup competition in 2012-13 and 2013-14 due to rain.

It was the first time since 2010 that the Warriors got their hands on the trophy. The Dolphins had never won or shared the 50-over showpiece since the franchise-system was birthed in 2004-05.

During the first decade of the new century, KwaZulu-Natal did win the one-day competition in 2001 and 2002.

Jon-Jon Smuts, the captain, applauded the character displayed by the Warriors to come out on top in what was effectively a quarterfinal and subsequently a semifinal.

Keshav Maharaj, the Dolphins skipper, said they were thrown a lifeline when the weather interviewed on Friday and the Warriors were in the pound seats. Sharing the trophy is the result of years and years of hard work, he added.

This season, Dolphins finished third in the competition and subsequently accounted for the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras in the second semifinal by 49 runs.

The Warriors stunned the defending champions, the Multiply Titans, by eight wickets in the first semifinal.

Gihahn Cloete, with 56, and Smuts, with an unbeaten 74, were the executioners in ensuring a comprehensive win.

Cloete was the leading run-scorer for the Warriors with 546 runs. Smuts also revived the innings of the Dolphins on many occasions and finished with 384 during the series.

Sisanda Magala nipped out 18 batsmen during the campaign. Ayabulela Gqamane captured 17 wickets.

The Dolphins batsmen Sarel Erwee (415 runs) and Dane Vilas (362) were stand-out performers.

Imran Tahir, Senuran Muthusamy and Mthokozisi Shezi struck 13 times each in the domestic 50-over competition.

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DE VILLIERS STEERS TITANS TO VICTORY

The Multiply Titans and Warriors go head to head in a Momentum One-Day Cup ‘final before the final’ clash with high stakes on the line for the winner at Sahara Park Willowmoore in Benoni on Tuesday.

The two are second and third respectively going into the penultimate round-robin match of the competition, which is a day game on Human Rights Day.

The victorious side are set to claim top spot from the Hollywoodbets Dolphins heading to the final set of games on Thursday.

Whoever tops the league phase of the tournament is guaranteed a home final and winning the clash on the East Rand tomorrow will go a long way towards deciding who that side will be.

“It’s like a final,” Titans coach Mark Boucher said. “Even though we don’t want to look too far ahead, if we can win tomorrow we can still effectively get a home final.

“So it’s a very big game for us and the boys are treating it accordingly. It will be a third game back-to-back and hopefully we can finish well.”

There is also significant team news for the home side ahead of the game. One of the biggest limited-over stars in the world and Standard Bank Proteas captain AB de Villiers is available. So too is South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris, meaning one of the strongest teams in the competition will be even stronger.

“We got some fresh faces in AB and Chris Morris, two not too bad players to be able to add to your squad,” Boucher added. “So we’ll be ready.”

The T20 Challenge champions have had some close run-ins with the Warriors in the recent past and Boucher conceded this will be no different. “Everyone knows the Warriors and the fight they play with,” the Titans boss concluded. “So we know exactly what to expect. We are well aware that rocking up and playing at 70 percent will not cut it. We have to be at our best.”

For Warriors coach Malibongwe Maketa, it is about time an important match against the same opponents went their way – but for effort rather than luck. “We feel that every time we play against them we do it very well because we know how good they are,” he said. “In close games, the rub of the green sometimes hasn’t gone or way.

“But we believe that through our hard work, it finally will go our way. Not because it’s our turn (for luck to turn or anything).

“The harder you work, the closer you will get to your opponent and we’ve worked really hard to get that result tomorrow.”

Despite the result going some way towards deciding where March 31 final will be played, Maketa was not at all interested in looking that far ahead. “We don’t look at permutations and those sorts of things,” he added. “We leave that to our supporters.

“We just want to go out there and do the job required.”

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WARRIORS READY FOR A CHANGE AGAINST TITANS

The Warriors coach Malibongwe Maketa is determined to change the script when they welcome the Unlimited Titans to Port Elizabeth on Friday.The Eastern Cape side

The Eastern Cape side have had a woeful first-class campaign, with the Achilles’ heel being their wretched form with the bat.  Their latest outing yielded a second successive innings defeat, this time to the Cape Cobras and Maketa admits they are in a hole at the moment.

“Once again same old story,” he said. “I know we’re saying the same thing every week, so it’s very disappointing. Mentally it’s extremely tough for us at the moment and we have to find a way to get over it.

“We’re still in the same place where we’re looking for that person, Mo (Yaseen Vallie), has been flying the flag alone, we’re looking for others to join him in terms of first-innings runs.”

Vallie is their only batsman who has scored 400 runs this season and the coach conceded that even their senior players were struggling.

“The senior guys are not performing, so everyone is under the same cloud of really looking for answers,” he added. “It’s affected everyone. Again, we’re repeating ourselves and hopefully it will happen this week.”

Despite the woes of the Warriors, the Titans boss, Rob Walter, is not ready to write them off. His side will go into the clash as overwhelming favourites, but they do need to be cautious at the same time, he says.

“I know they haven’t registered a win, but it doesn’t make them a bad team,” Walter said. “So we can’t take them lightly because anyone can really beat anyone.”

The Titans drew with the Sunfoil Dolphins last week to extend their lead at the summit after their closest rivals, the bizhub Highveld Lions, lost to the VKB Knights.

“After all is said and done, we did gain three-and-a-half points in the end, which is good, but it’s nothing that allows us to settle down and think this (title race) is done and dusted, because it definitely isn’t. I think this is going to go all the way, this year’s Sunfoil Series,” Walter added.

“I expect it will go down to the last game, so it’s pretty exciting stuff.”

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FRUSTRATED COBRAS SEEK WARRIORS REDEMPTION

The Cape Cobras did everything right in their last Sunfoil Series outing against the bizhub Highveld Lions over the weekend.

They made runs, they took wickets and they had their opponents on the ropes for most of the final day. But they lacked the knockout blow in Paarl, one that would have given them a first win of the competition this season.

Instead they had to settle for an exasperating draw, which did snap a two-game losing streak, and they will be looking to build on that when they travel to St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth to face the Warriors in a bottom-of-the-table clash starting on Thursday.

They have had plenty of things to work on since Sunday, according to coach Paul Adams. “We had to work very hard during that game,” he says. “The bowlers were quite short and it’s something we’ve had to work on afterwards.

“For us it’s mainly been about recovering since then. We know we’re on the right track and it’s about following those same processes going forward, making sure we’re fresh and ready come Thursday.”

Adams feels there are many positives to take away from the result and hopes they can build on them in the Eastern Cape. “A draw in the game was as good as a loss, we get the same amount of points,” he added. “It’s important for me that we can pick it up from here and continue with that momentum.”

Richard Levi is fit again after a foot injury and is expected to come into the middle-order for JP Duminy, who marked his return to form with an outstanding 260 not out at Boland Park.

While the Cobras were left frustrated by the Lions’ tail – they were one wicket away from victory – their opponents, the Warriors, were thwarted by the rain.

But just like their opponents, their washout against the Sunfoil Dolphins in Pietermaritzburg, ended a two-game losing streak start to the competition. “It was frustrating what happened, but at least our bowlers got some rest and we hope that will assist us going into this game,” coach Malibongwe Maketa stated.

Seamers Basheer Walters and Sisanda Magala are both carrying niggles and face late fitness tests.

Maketa is expecting a tough assignment against their Cape rivals, adding: “It’s always a good challenge against the Cobras, who are a very good side. Having come so close to a victory in that game last week, they’ll be determined to set the record straight.”

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