The Eastern Cape Iinyathi will take on the Tuskers in the Division 2 One Day Cup final at the AET Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday, as they chase their first trophy in the revamped domestic structure.
After seven rounds of intense competition, the Buffalo Park-based side have emerged as one of the form teams in the tournament, with just one loss to their name coming against their final opponents, the Tuskers.
Meanwhile, the home side remain unbeaten and will be looking to add another title to their collection after clinching the T20 knockout earlier this season.
Iinyathi captain and leading run-scorer Jerome Bossr has been in fine form with the bat and believes his team have the right mindset heading into the decider.
“Something we live by in our team environment is staying present and soaking up the moment,” Bossr said.
“A goal of ours was to make the final, and now we are looking to put our best foot forward.
“The lads are very excited and looking forward to playing in a final.”
Despite facing a formidable Tuskers side on their home turf, Bossr is confident in Iinyathi’s ability to adapt.
“Against a side like the Tuskers, you don’t want to give anything away for free.
“You always want to execute your plans well and focus on what we need to do,” he said.
“The Pietermaritzburg Oval won’t be too much of a surprise for us, and we have always been a team that adapt quickly to conditions.”
For the Tuskers, captain Michael Erlank is eager to potentially lift a second trophy this season.
“To win another trophy this season would be unbelievable,” Erlank said.
“This is what we play for at the end of the day. We train hard and play to be in finals and to win finals.”
The Tuskers head into the final with an unbeaten record at the Pietermaritzburg Oval this season, with two wins and one rain-affected match.
Erlank hopes to see a strong home crowd backing them.
“It’s very exciting to be playing the final at home, and hopefully, we can get the crowds in to come and support the team,” he said.
Despite their comfortable round-robin victory over Iinyathi, Erlank expects a highly competitive final.
“They have been playing some really good cricket over the last few weeks, and we’ve also been in good form, so it should be a great match,” he said.
“We won’t be changing anything and will go into the final with the same mindset and attitude we’ve had for the last two months.
“If we execute to the best of our ability, I think we’ll be on the right side of the result on Friday.”
The action at the Pietermaritzburg Oval gets under way at 10am on Friday. — Cricket SA
Iinyathi, Tuskers set for mouthwatering one-day final
Image: RANDELL ROSKRUGE
The Eastern Cape Iinyathi will take on the Tuskers in the Division 2 One Day Cup final at the AET Pietermaritzburg Oval on Friday, as they chase their first trophy in the revamped domestic structure.
After seven rounds of intense competition, the Buffalo Park-based side have emerged as one of the form teams in the tournament, with just one loss to their name coming against their final opponents, the Tuskers.
Meanwhile, the home side remain unbeaten and will be looking to add another title to their collection after clinching the T20 knockout earlier this season.
Iinyathi captain and leading run-scorer Jerome Bossr has been in fine form with the bat and believes his team have the right mindset heading into the decider.
“Something we live by in our team environment is staying present and soaking up the moment,” Bossr said.
“A goal of ours was to make the final, and now we are looking to put our best foot forward.
“The lads are very excited and looking forward to playing in a final.”
Despite facing a formidable Tuskers side on their home turf, Bossr is confident in Iinyathi’s ability to adapt.
“Against a side like the Tuskers, you don’t want to give anything away for free.
“You always want to execute your plans well and focus on what we need to do,” he said.
“The Pietermaritzburg Oval won’t be too much of a surprise for us, and we have always been a team that adapt quickly to conditions.”
For the Tuskers, captain Michael Erlank is eager to potentially lift a second trophy this season.
“To win another trophy this season would be unbelievable,” Erlank said.
“This is what we play for at the end of the day. We train hard and play to be in finals and to win finals.”
The Tuskers head into the final with an unbeaten record at the Pietermaritzburg Oval this season, with two wins and one rain-affected match.
Erlank hopes to see a strong home crowd backing them.
“It’s very exciting to be playing the final at home, and hopefully, we can get the crowds in to come and support the team,” he said.
Despite their comfortable round-robin victory over Iinyathi, Erlank expects a highly competitive final.
“They have been playing some really good cricket over the last few weeks, and we’ve also been in good form, so it should be a great match,” he said.
“We won’t be changing anything and will go into the final with the same mindset and attitude we’ve had for the last two months.
“If we execute to the best of our ability, I think we’ll be on the right side of the result on Friday.”
The action at the Pietermaritzburg Oval gets under way at 10am on Friday. — Cricket SA
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