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Warriors, Lions set for showdown

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Dwaine Pretorius (Gallo)
Dwaine Pretorius (Gallo)

Cape Town - The Warriors are looking to carry the confidence gained from beating the Knights in their last T20 Challenge match on Sunday into their latest assignment against the Highveld Lions at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

The men from the Eastern Cape thumped their Central franchise counterparts by a substantial 42 runs for a bonus point success in Bloemfontein.

Coach Malibongwe Maketa wants his players to now channel that confidence towards ousting the bottom-of-the-table Lions. “Things have gone fairly well so far and coming off that win against the Knights in the last game, there is a fair it of confidence from the guys heading into Friday,” he said. “So we’re pleased with the start that we’ve had, but at the same time we’re not fooling ourselves by thinking of the play-offs.”

The Warriors are presently second on the log after two wins from three. They remain the closest challengers to runaway leaders the Multiply Titans, although the lead at the summit is eight points.

“We know that there’s a lot of cricket still to be played, so from that perspective we’re very cautious about looking too far ahead,” Maketa added. “It’s all about game-by-game planning and that’s how we’re looking at things.”

Colin Ingram faces a late fitness test for the hosts.

The Lions won their first match of the season by beating the Cape Cobras by three runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method on Sunday. Dwaine Pretorius is on his way back from Australia after he was released early by the Proteas and will be available for that game.

Despite the fact that the result against the Cobras could have gone either way in what turned out to be a six over pursuit of 70, coach Geoffrey Toyana felt that it was nonetheless a win for his charges, who also play the Hollywoodbets Dolphins on Sunday.

“It’s still early days, but I think our win over the Cobras in Potch has given us a boost,” the Lions boss said. “Hopefully that will get us going and give us momentum.

“Playing the Warriors in PE is always tough.  They play well in this format and on their own ground and in their own conditions, they are a tough proposition.”

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