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Cobras coach Ashwell Prince has one wish for the Highveld Lions – the remaining threat to his team winning the domestic four-day competition – going into the last round on Monday.
Said wish is that they get to play a full game against the Warriors in Potchefstroom so that “the best man” from the two teams may win.
Prince’s side, which will be up against the Dolphins in Maritzburg at the same time their rivals for the title will be playing, leads Enoch Nkwe’s men by a slender three points after rain put paid to the Warriors’ challenge this week.
The four-day competition’s title run-ins have been tighter before, notably last year when four points separated the top four teams going into the last round. But, according to Prince, there is a marked difference this year.
“The team that won last year had two wins, the team that finished second also had two wins and we were third with one win,” he said.
“The pitches have been conducive to results this year. They’ve given something to the bowlers, and the spinners have come into play as well.”
Going into the last four days of the first-class season tomorrow, the Cobras and the Lions have identical records of nine games, six wins, two losses and one draw each, a winning habit they’re both going to have to maintain if they are to have a chance of winning the title this week.
There are different challenges to their wanting to keep the victorious momentum going – the Cobras are playing the Dolphins in Maritzburg and the Lions are up against the in-form Warriors.
The Dolphins are the bad weather magnet in the competition (ask the Warriors), while bad light also has a nasty habit of stopping play in Maritzburg, which means the Cobras may find themselves with less time to force a win. The Warriors are probably the most in-form team in the competition at the moment.
Nkwe respects what the Warriors have done this season, but has no intention of changing anything in his approach: “When we played them in the first round, it wasn’t an easy game to play, especially in their backyard. They’re a superb team with a nice mix of youth and experience. They can compete and have been playing good cricket in the past few weeks, but we’re in the position we wanted to be in because our ultimate goal was always to win the competition. We need to keep playing the same style and there’ll be no change to our approach. We just have to bring our A game.”
Prince said his side’s job was simple: “We know what to do. We’ve got to go out and win and, if we do, we’ll be the champions. Bad light often plays a role in Maritzburg, but that is something we can’t control so if we don’t get over the line because of the weather, there’s nothing we can do.”
Asked if the Johannesburg-based side was beginning to be a thorn in his side after his Cape Town Blitz lost the Mzansi Super League (MSL) T20 final to Jozi Stars last month, Prince was at pains to point out that there were no comparisons to be made thanks to draft systems that saw overseas players fielded and some franchise players cross the floor.
But Nkwe said Jozi Stars’ win may have helped infuse whatever players he has left from the Mzansi Super League (MSL) with the confidence to go on and play well in the competition.
Prince said he wasn’t surprised that the Lions had clawed their way back into contention after the Cobras had an impressive start to the tournament: “I was asked after the sixth round if winning was a foregone conclusion. I said: ‘We won our first four games of the season, so I’ve asked the team to expect someone else to win their last four games.’”
Nkwe’s debut season as Lions head coach has been nothing short of a dream. He won the MSL title with Jozi Stars and is in contention for the four-day championship.
“I’m happy the players have bought into the vision, as well as with mature way in which they have dealt with the changes.”
