The Dafabet Warriors will be striving to repeat the qualities of patience and discipline they showed last weekend when they take on the Tuskers in their second Cricket SA 4-Day Series fixture in Maritzburg, starting on Thursday.
This was the message from star wicketkeeper-batsman Sinethemba Qeshile, whose first innings knock of 129 was the cornerstone of their opening victory over Western Province at St George’s Park on Sunday.
Giving their opponents plenty of time to score 352 for victory, the Warriors had to hold their nerve as WP fought with all they had to secure the win, eventually being bowled out for 304 shortly after lunch on the fourth day.
Now Qeshile knows that they have to build on that performance on what can be a difficult pitch in Maritzburg against a team who will be hurting after their eight-wicket loss to North West Dragons last weekend.
The biggest priority for the Warriors was to stay patient and to accurately execute their disciplines, Qeshile said.
“For us it was about sticking to the processes and to keep working towards our goal in the WP match,” he said.
“We knew that in the context of the game there were going to be partnerships as the match progressed and it eventually became all about who would crack first. It was a great sign for us that we were able to stay patient and to break through on the last day.”
While the Tuskers wobbled in their second innings against the Dragons, being dismissed for 98, Qeshile knows that they will be desperate to prove themselves on their return to division one.
“We never take any teams for granted and although they have been relegated in the past, they are now back up to division one and we know that the Maritzburg venue can be tough for batters and bowlers.
“Again, we need to stay patient and be very specific in what we want to achieve.”
The 26-year-old was delighted with his start to the season and said it was mainly a matter of being prepared to work hard for his runs after coming to the crease at 8/3.
“They were quite tough batting conditions at that stage and the team needed someone to put their hand up and to graft for their runs,” Qeshile said after he stroked his way to his fifth first-class century.
“It comes down to taking responsibility for the team and it wasn’t just my innings, it was also about all the support around me that enabled us to post a decent first innings total.
“Last season we battled at times in the first innings, so to start off this season like that gives us a bit of confidence.”
Qeshile said much of his preparation for the season had centred around improving his mental approach.
“I know my game pretty well and now it’s about trusting that process and going out and performing for the team.
“As a batter your currency is getting runs on the board and obviously you want to win games for the team and that means going out there and trying to score hundreds.”
With a largely unchanged line-up for the clash in Maritzburg, Qeshile looms large as a key figure in the Warriors batting plans as they seek to build on the encouraging start against WP.
The Warriors squad is: Jordan Hermann, Modiri Litheko, Muhammad Manack, Matthew Breetzke, Sinethemba Qeshile, Matthew de Villiers, Thomas Kaber, Matthew Boast, Duanne Olivier, Jason Raubenheimer, Wesley Bedja, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Ntando Soni, Kerwin Mungroo, Jean du Plessis.
The Herald
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