The Eastern Cape Iinyathi journey of taking it a step further by making the final of the Cricket SA Division 2 4-Day Series after falling short last season will begin this week.
They start this season’s red-ball campaign against the Northern Cape Heat at Buffalo Park on Thursday.
The Heat were finalists and joint winners in the last 4-Day Series, while the Iinyathi finished fourth.
Iinyathi had to finish top two to make it to the final, but they only chalked up two wins out of six matches.
If they are to get promotion to Division One, it is essential for them to finish in a decent position in the 4-Day Series and to also do well in the T20 and limited overs competitions.
Iinyathi will be looking for a fast start against the Heat, who lost their first game last week against the Mpumalanga Rhinos by 258 runs.
Coach Tumelo Bodibe had one-on-one sessions with the players on Monday, and on Tuesday they will have a full squad training session to put the final touches on their preparations.
The Heat felt the aftermath of the departure of their experienced players in the off-season against the Rhinos.
Players such as former Proteas fast bowler Hardus Viljoen and top-order batter Ernest Kemm left the Heat during the transfer window, while experienced players such as Tian Koekemoer, Jonathan Vandiar and Basheer Walters have retired.
Their batting and bowling departments were shaky. The batters could only manage 219 in the first innings and 163 in the second knock, while their bowlers conceded 600-plus runs. These are areas that Iinyathi will want to exploit.
The Border side will be missing the services of leftarm spinner Jade de Klerk, who left in the off season.
He was the top wicket-taker in the four-day competition for the past two seasons.
A few weeks ago, Bodibe said he was happy with the combinations and how new signings such as Thando Ntini had gelled with the old guard in the team.
But he identified proper decision-making, limiting extras when bowling and losing several wickets in succession at key stages of the game as some of the areas that needed fixing.
These, he felt, were the achilles heel in their preseason games. They lost to the Warriors in the Ngumbela Legacy Cup in early September, which he said was a wake-up call.
The team, however, were crowned champions at the recent Momentum Health Challenge organised by Division One franchise, the Titans.
In that T20 competition, Iinyathi beat the Northern Cape Heat, Mpumalanga Rhinos and Easterns, three teams who are among the favourites to earn promotion.
Daily Dispatch
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