Dolphins face WP in crucial T20 Challenge Eliminator

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins will host WSB Western Province in the CSA T20 Challenge Eliminator at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on Wednesday with the winner going into Qualifier 2 of the competition.

The Dolphins pulled off two historic victories in their final two round robin matches of the competition beating the Titans and the Lions in incredible fashion. Those wins saw them finish third on the table and earn the right to host Western Province.

The men from Cape Town beat the Dolphins in their meeting at Newlands earlier in the season and this Wednesday will be a good chance for the Dolphins to amend that result and keep their perfect home record intact.

Reflecting on Sunday's result and looking ahead to Wednesday, Dolphins head coach Quinton Friend is hopeful that the fans will come and support the team.

"Our first priority was always to try and finish as high as we could on the log, without even thinking of the play-offs," Friend said. "To be able to come through Sunday's game with the Durban faithful supporting the boys was great, and it's always fantastic to pull off a win against the Lions.

"In saying that, home ground advantage could play a big part in a home eliminator. We urge the Durban faithful to come out and support the boys again."

On Sunday against the Lions the Dolphins chased down over 190 in a chase where no player scored over 50. For Friend, the all-round contributions from many players have been great to see.

"I think most satisfying has been the holistic squad effort. It hasn't been one individual or two individuals that has got us to where we are. It's been a full squad effort in trying to get this far. I think that's what's been good.

"Sometimes it doesn't just take the playing XI to get you over the line. It takes a full squad of 16-17 players. The nice thing is the players that have come in have really stood up and put in some nice performances," he added.

Looking at where the difference could lie between their loss to Western Province a few weeks ago and Wednesday's play-off, Friend thinks they are in a better position than they were back then.

"I think if I look back at the Western Province game down at Newlands, I don't think we batted well at all.

"We know we're a lot better than that as a team. Obviously, we had a few players out in that match as well, of which some of these players have returned now. I think guys like Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo, Bryce Parsons, there's a lot of players that have come back.

"I'm hoping that these players will be able to get us over the line come tomorrow," Friend commented.

To go from back-to-back losses to back-to-back victories was important for the Dolphins. The coach knows that there is a lot of work still to be done.

"Again, we know our jobs not done. We just want to focus on Wednesday and that's against Western Province and give it our absolute best shot in trying to get through to that Qualifier 2 on Friday.

"We're just fine-tuning a few little things here and there and making sure that we can really be up for the fight and make sure that we can play the game from the front foot.

"At the end of the day, Western Province are a good side but they must know that they're playing at Kingsmead now and it's a different challenge to playing at your home ground at Newlands."

Meanwhile, a successful CSA T20 Challenge round-robin stage has the World Sports Betting Western Province Men riding high as they head to Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium for the knockout phase.

Securing a fourth-place finish with four wins from their seven matches, Rory Kleinveldt’s men accumulated 18 points to book their place in the knockout stages.

The team will now draw on their consistent all-round performances and recent momentum as they face a win-or-go-home clash in Durban.

Captain Daniel Smith, who has led from the front, believes his side is ready for the test. Smith announced his arrival in the campaign with a blistering 80 off just 26 balls in the opener and later hammered a composed 103* (55) against the DP World Lions.

“I think it's going to be a really good game,” said Smith. “The Dolphins are playing some really good cricket at the moment, with a couple of key players back. Our boys have also been playing really well, so we are really looking forward to it.”

The squad receives a significant boost with the return of fast bowler Tshepo Moreki, from duty with South Africa 'A' in India. Moreki’s experience and firepower will be a major asset to the bowling attack.

“It’s a massive boost for us to have Tshepo back from SA ‘A’ duties,” he said. “Moreki has proven that he's one of the best in South Africa. He’ll add great value, not just on the field, but also to our young bowling attack.”

Another standout performer this season has been Eddie Moore, who cemented his explosive form with a spectacular 105 off 53 balls in the dominant victory over the Momentum Multiply Titans at home. Moore is confident the team can overcome their final hurdle.

“They're obviously a quality team,” said Moore. “We beat them at Newlands, so nowit's time to go and beat them at Kingsmead, in their backyard.

“We’ve been to the play offs before but never quite got over the line, hopefully, this time around we can.”

WSB Western Province Squad

Joshua van Heerden, Abdallah Bayoumy, Raeeq Daniels, Dane Paterson, Kyle Simmonds, Mbulelo Dube, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Edward Moore, Daniel Smith (c), George Linde, Josh Breed, Valentine Kitime, Jiveshan Pillay, Tshepo Moreki, Oliver Whitehead.

• The match at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium starts at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon.