The newly crowned T20 Knockout champions head into their first away fixture of the campaign brimming with confidence after two dominant wins at the Mangaung Oval: an 8-wicket victory over the Eastern Storm and an innings-and-99-run demolition of the Limpopo Impalas. Although the Knights already played in Kimberley this season, comfortably beating the Heat by 93 runs in the opening round of the T20 Knockout, this time the script is different. 

The format changes, the stakes rise, and the Heat traditionally lift themselves when their neighbours from the Free State come to town.

Tiaan van Vuuren. Photo: Morgan Piek

It’s been a bruising season for the Northern Cape outfit. In the 4-Day Series, they’ve slumped to an 8-wicket defeat against the Eastern Cape Iinyathi and a heavy 258-run loss to the Mpumalanga Rhinos. 

In the T20 Knockout, three of their six matches ended in no result due to weather, while the other three produced defeats - a run of form that will have stung deeply. That said, they’ll no doubt psyche themselves up for a shot at their first win of the season against a neighbour they would love to upset.

The Knights, meanwhile, are boosted by the return of left-arm seamer Tiaan van Vuuren from South Africa A duty in India. He arrived home just days before the T20 final and, despite not taking a wicket, delivered crucial death overs that helped seal the trophy against the Iinyathi. His comeback adds both skill and energy to a side already humming with confidence.

Van Vuuren told OFM Sport he has noticed a definite shift in the squad’s atmosphere, and he believes it’s even stronger than before.

“It’s really nice to be back with the side, I actually missed the guys while they were busy with the T20 competition,” said Van Vuuren. They’ve trained hard over the past week or two, and it’s going to be lekker to get back on the park with them. 

“Since I left, things have improved a lot - the boys are gelled, the environment is good, and the confidence is there. It’s great to see that energy from the T20s carrying into the four-day competition.”

Ideally, the Knights would love to wrap up a result early and bank the bonus points, but they know they may have to grind it out across all four days to secure a third consecutive first-class win.

Van Vuuren added that cricket remains a funny ol’ game, and the key will be controlling the controllables. “As a team, we’re sticking to our own processes and focusing on ourselves,” he said.

“Cricket can go any way, so we’re concentrating on preparing as well as we can for the conditions and making sure we maximise everything going into the weekend.”

The Heat-Knights game at the Diamond Oval is scheduled to start at 10:00 on Thursday morning.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh