Cricket
Knights earn promotion back to Division 1─── MORGAN PIEK 18:29 Sun, 24 Mar 2024
“We had to finish lower than third, and Northern Cape had to finish in first for them to go up. This means that we will definitely end in the top three, and that also means promotion for us.”
The ITEC Knights will be making a return to Division 1 of domestic cricket from next season after ensuring that they finish within the top three of the CSA T20 Challenge.
Before their T20 Challenge game Mpumalanga Rhinos in White River on Sunday, the Knights had to ensure that they would end at least third on the log, while the Northern Cape Heat had to be denied a chance to finish at the top of the log.
Their 71-run bonus point win moved their back up to first, with the game against the Heat to come.
The Knights lead the standings with 18-points, which is the same as the Limpopo Impalas, however, the Knights do have a superior net run rate. The Heat are in third on 13 points.
The Knights captain, Aubrey Swanepoel, told OFM Sport that it’s mission accomplished, but they are still chasing silverware.
“We had to finish lower than third, and Northern Cape had to finish in first for them to go up, ” said Swanepoel.
“This means that we will definitely end in the top three, and that also means promotion for us.
“With the long standings, ourselves and Limpopo are on the same points. We're on 18-points each going into the last round.
“It could still be anyone’s game when we play against Northern Cape on Wednesday, which is still important to secure a definite home semi-final. But we are definitely in the semi-finals and we cannot finish lower than third.”
Earlier in the season the Knights fell short in the respective finals of the One-Day Cup as well as the 4-Day series, and while promotion was the main goal, some silverware will certainly sweeten the deal.
At this stage it’s unknown who the Knights will replace in Division 1, but it will be either the KZN Tuskers or the Paarl Rocks that will be relegated.
The Knights will be able to contract at least five or six additional players to bolster their squad in Division 1, while the salary cap will also be higher, which means it will be easier to attract players to the Free State.
The Heat will face the Knights at 13:00 on Wednesday at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley.
Morgan Piek OFM Sport
