Backed by a win in our opening game of SA20, we head to Centurion for our first home match of the season. We gear up to welcome Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the reverse fixture, with hopes to replicate our fine performance from St. George’s Park.
“Starting well in any competition is crucial, so I am happy with the victory.”
Captain Wayne Parnell’s words after our first win aptly summarised the feeling in the camp after a 23-run win over the threatening Sunrisers Eastern Cape Town side. Owing to incredible performances by Phil Salt, Jimmy Neesham, Anrich Nortje, and our skipper himself, we take our learnings from Gqeberha into the reverse fixture.
Playing in front of the Pretoria Crowd:
We come home to Centurion to play amidst the echoes of the supportive roars of our people for the first time in SA20. The stadium has witnessed several greats of the game grace it with their legendary performances. We are motivated by the same passion to make Pretoria proud, in Pretoria.
Playing on his home turf, Theunis De Bruyn would be looking forward to building on his explosive innings from the previous match. It would be exciting to see how De Bruyn counters the lethal Sunrisers' bowling attack at the Centurion.
Phil Salt: A Hero in the Making?
Despite our top-order initially struggling to find their footing against the Sunrisers, Phil Salt emerged as a raging hero. He marched towards scoring an unbeaten 77 which led us to start out our SA20 campaign with a win on the road.
All eyes will be on the Englishman again, as he too aspires to test his hard-hitting abilities at the Centurion, a ground that is famous for providing high-scoring matches.
“We have a good side, we have some serious X-factor players”
In tandem with players like Jimmy Neesham and Wayne Parnell, Phil Salt is expected to unleash more fireworks in the Pretoria blue when we host the Sunrisers.
Skipper Parnell - A Dependable All-Rounder:
One of the key takeaways from St. George’s Park was skipper Wayne Parnell’s ability to turn the game in our favour both with the bat and the ball. His quickfire knock of 29 off 9 balls bolters our batting prowess lower down the order. This can prove to be a massive boost for us at Centurion, wherein we could turn to his services with the bat.
Similarly, our skipper proved to be handy with the ball as well picking up a wicket in his first delivery against the Sunrisers at St. George’s Park. We head to Centurion with strengthened belief in our captain.
Challenges for Pretoria Capitals:
Sunrisers Eastern Cape Town are heading to Pretoria with redemption on their mind. Meanwhile, Pretoria Capitals are aiming to make it two wins on the trot, roaring towards their first victory in front of the home fans.
Marco Jansen and Ottneil Baartman:
The lanky left-arm seamer was an instant threat to our opening batters, restricting us from building a strong foundation for our innings. Our batters have a job cut in their hands to find a fix to tackle Jansen’s brutal pace to set our innings in motion.
Be it in the powerplay or the death overs, Ottniel Baartman was a tough nut to crack for our batters. Heading into the reverse fixture, we would need to find a way around establishing sustainable partnerships to post big totals; something that is synonymous with Centurion.
Strengthening our Middle-Order:
With a line-up that consists of remarkable batters with proven experience in the domestic as well as the international circuit, our middle-order was a cause of worry in our opening game against Sunrisers Eastern Cape Town.
While Phil Salt gave a promising start, the middle-order struggled to add to our total, leaving a massive task in hand for Jimmy Neesham and Wayne Parnell to propel us towards a competitive score.
As we head to Centurion, Pretoria fans would be keen to enjoy a comprehensive performance from the team.
Where to Watch:
Roar Saam More as the Pretoria Capitals play their first SA20 home match against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape Town:
Jan 14, 1:30 PM SAST | Centurion, Pretoria
