On Friday, the Knights got their campaign off to a blistering start with a 93-run win against the Northern Cape Heat in Kimberley. This was largely thanks to brilliant knocks with the bat by Rilee Rossouw, who scored 97 off 46 balls, and Cole Abrahams, who contributed 54 off 40.

It will be the Knights’ first home game of the competition, but they recently beat the visitors from Polokwane in the CSA 4-Day Series. Less than a fortnight ago, the Knights thumped the Impalas by an innings and 99 runs; largely due to stellar performances from the bowlers, including captain Dane Piedt and quick Johan van Dyk.

While the Knights’ confidence is certainly riding high after their win at the Diamond Oval, they remain mindful of the fact that the team from Polokwane are more than capable of turning up on the day and causing an upset.

Former Proteas seamer Sisanda Magala, who joined the Knights in the off-season, made his long-awaited debut on Friday. After two years on the sidelines with injuries, he certainly played his part with figures of 2/12 in 1.5 overs, as the Heat were bowled out for 130.

Magala told OFM Sport that it’s important for them to move on from their good win against the Heat and hit the reset button ahead of the clash with the Impalas. “Most importantly, it’s about making sure that we hit the reset button,” said Magala.

Sisanda Magala. Photo: Cricinfo

“We don’t play from the last game; it’s a new game. Limpopo can come out and blaze us; we don’t know. We’ll never underestimate our opposition. So it’s very important for us to start again and see how the wicket plays, because we’re playing on a different strip.

“In the four-day series, we played on the strip closer to the east stand, and now we’re playing on the one closer to the Castle Long Room, so it might play differently. But again, we start fresh. We had some good chats in the change room, just discussing how we’re going to go about it and build on the momentum.”

Big-hitting Proteas batter Jacques Snyman has struggled a bit for runs so far, but he’s far from panicking, believing the next big score could come in the very next game. Snyman told OFM Sport that the win against Northern Cape has given the team confidence, and more importantly, that the batting unit is starting to find its rhythm.

“You want to catch momentum as quickly as you can; it’s a short competition, so that was vital for us,” said Snyman.

“Having experience like Rilee Rossouw in the team helps a lot; not only with the batting, but with the bowling, energy in the field, and even angles, with Pietie also bringing good experience. It was a massive start for us.

“We’re definitely getting there. It’s still early in the season, and we’ve just been finding our feet. We’ve been playing on difficult wickets in the four-day competition; the slopes and conditions were different, which affected our technique.

Jacques Snyman. Photo: Morgan Piek

“But with white-ball cricket, that goes out the window, and we can play with more freedom. Rilee has shown us that again, and he’s been speaking to the batters and helping us with our own games.

“We’re feeling very positive and hopefully we can get another good win tomorrow.”

Wednesday’s game at the Mangaung Oval is scheduled to start at 13:00.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mv