The seamers, spinners and even the part-timers in the Eastern Cape Iinyathi squad were on the button with their lines and lengths during their practice session on Tuesday.
The batters could neither comfortably drive the ball on the front foot nor cut or pull it on the back foot.
The balls were hitting the top of the off-stump, providing little room for the batters to free their levers.
Fast bowler Nico van Zyl described this as turning the screws on the bowling attack ahead of their CSA Division 2 four-day game against the Mpumalanga Rhinos, starting at Buffalo Park on Thursday.
The game is likely to be make-or-break in their red ball campaign.
They have to win by a bonus point and a big margin to move up the standings to keep their push for the final alive.
They have 43.22 points from their four games.
The top two spots required for the final of the competition are occupied by the Eastern Storm in second on 65.02 and table-topping Garden Route Badgers on 73.38.
Before the Christmas break, the Border side were left frustrated as they went winless in their last three longer-format games.
In those losses to the Storm in October, they conceded 346 runs; in their drawn game against the Impalas in November, it was 384; and against the Badgers, they allowed the Western Cape team to make 423 in December.
Van Zyl believes the heavy first-innings scores were not an issue, as he felt they were balanced with the number of overs they spent on the field.
He believes they just need precision from whomever is handed the Kookaburra in Rhinos games and effort from the fielders to back them up.
“To be honest, I don’t think we have been bowling badly or that we have been conceding a lot of runs.
“If you look at the overs we have been bowling, we have been going at a decent rate,” Van Zyl said.
If you look at the overs we have been bowling, we have been going at a decent rate,
“It is not like the game was running away from us. I think we just need to keep doing what we are doing. We were playing on very flat wickets.
“We just need as a team to pull together because we need many batting and bowling points to keep our hopes up in the two remaining games.
“We have to do well in the first innings to maximise our chances to get those batting or bowling points.”
Van Zyl said he was happy with his form in the red ball campaign.
He is among the top six wicket-takers in the competition, with 15 scalps from 106 overs. He averages 22.80 and has an economy rate of 3.22.
“I didn’t even realise that I was among the top wicket-takers,” Van Zyl said.
“It would be nice to get to top five. Buffalo Park does afford that opportunity.
“The pitch has some grass on it which will assist the bowlers in the two remaining games.”
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