Warriors coach Malibongwe Maketa is not prepared to look too far beyond the Hollywoodbets Dolphins whom they play at Buffalo Park in East London on Wednesday as the crunch end of the T20 Challenge looms.
The men from the Eastern Cape have a strong chance of topping the regular season log and with it earning an automatic berth in the final they could then host.
But they must beat the current table-toppers, the Multiply Titans, in one of their last three games and also win another of the matches – against the Dolphins or the BuildNat Cape Cobras to stand a chance.
However, Maketa does not want to look at the maths at this stage, saying the sole focus was on their counterparts from Durban. “We’re taking it game by game,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to the Dolphins first and we know if we can go on and beat them then we’ll have a good chance of pushing the Titans close for that number one spot.”
The match will also be their first in East London this season.
“We get good crowds in East London and we look forward to playing there for the first time,” Maketa added. “Hopefully they can get behind us like the people in Port Elizabeth have done so far.”
Somila Seyibokwe and Andrew Birch both face late fitness tests for the hosts.
The Dolphins saw their casualty list lengthen when they were beaten by the Cobras on Sunday after an injury to Mthokozisi Shezi. Mbasa Gqadushe is also sidelined meaning a recall for Craig Alexander and an inclusion for Sibonelo Makhanya in the team.
Their latest setback means the fourth-placed Durbanites must win their last two matches to stand any chance of making the play-offs. They will also need other results to go in their favour.
“Perhaps this extra pressure will work in our favour because we now don’t really have anything to lose,” coach Grant Morgan said. “We’ve simply got to go out there and win.”
HEAD TO HEAD – Warriors v Hollywoodbets Dolphins
Matches Played 18
Warriors Win 10
Dolphins Win 06
Tie 01
No Result 01
| MATCH STATS (T20 CHALLENGE) | WARRIORS | HOLLYWOODBETS DOLPHINS |
| Highest Score | 162/5 (Durban 2009/10) | 181/4 (Durban 2014/15) |
| Lowest Score | 91 (Durban 2007/08) | 100/8 (Durban 2011/12) |
| Highest Individual Score | 72* RJ Peterson (East London 2008/09) | 90* DA Miller (East London 2010/11) |
| Best bowling in an innings | 4-30 L Mbane (Port Elizabeth 2013/14) | 4-29 P Subrayen (Durban 2015/16) |
