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'Pyjama' cricket time again
04/02/2008 22:13 - (SA)
Jaco van der Merwe, Beeld
Johannesburg - South Africa's domestic limited-overs cricket competition gets under way in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday when the Eagles and the Warriors meet in the first match.
The MTN competition has been rearranged to make room for Zimbabwe, who will compete with the six SA franchises.
This is part of Cricket SA's strategy to provide more exposure to Zimbabwe's top players.
If the Zimbabweans field their best team, as they have promised, they should be serious contenders for the title.
They have lost some of their best players during the past few seasons, but there is still much talent in the side.
Batsmen Hamilton Mazakadza and Brendon Taylor, wicketkeeper Tatendu Taibu, spinners Prosper Utseya and Ray Price, as well as allrounder Elton Chigumbura have all made their mark at international level.
The Eagles are among the favourites, despite the loss of Nicky Bojé and Johan van der Wath. The absence of the two stalwarts was not felt too much as the Eagles won the SuperSport competition on the trot.
They have won two of the three one-day titles since the start of the franchise system and were setting the pace last season before the Warriors eliminated them in the semi-finals.
The Eastern Cape side then went down in the final at Newlands, where the Cape Cobras won their first one-day title as a franchise.
Experienced batsmen
This season, the Cobras will be without a number of players who will soon depart for Bangladesh as members of the national team.
Graeme Smith, Ashwell Prince, Herschelle Gibbs and Jacques Kallis will be on tour and JP Duminy and Vernon Philander will follow when the ODI action starts.
The Warriors, runners-up in the SuperSport series, should also do well in the MTN competition.
They have experienced batsmen such as Zander de Bruyn, HD Ackerman and Arno and Davey Jacobs. The formidable attack includes left-arm spinner Robbie Peterson and left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
The Titans and Dolphins will also have big gaps to fill.
Alfonso Thomas and Pierre de Bruyn have been dropped from the Titans squad and the Dolphins, who have signed Thomas, will be without Lance Klusener
The Highveld Lions did not win a match in the first-class competition and they will be hoping to break their duck in the one-day series.
- Beeld
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