PIETERMARITZBURG – The Moothee Ram Tuskers will be hoping that they can finish 2025 on a positive note when they host WSB Western Province in the 4-Day Series at the AET Pietermaritzburg Oval starting on Tuesday.
The Tuskers have been ended the recent CSA T20 Challenge with one victory from the competition and were competitive throughout which is a positive sign heading into the SA20 break coming up.
They are seventh on the table in the 4-Day Series ahead of the Titans and will be hoping that they can put four good days of cricket together in Pietermaritzburg this week against Western Province who are just ahead of them on the table.
Looking back on what has transpired so far this season, Tuskers head coach Ahmed Amla was honest on his assessment of how things have gone.
“We took a few days after the T20 to reflect and get past the obvious disappointment in the manner of how we performed at times,” Amla said. “On the whole, half way through the season, it’s no secret that we have not been up to the mark in the batting department.
“That is something that we have looked to address within our group and start doing better. We have played some winning cricket at times, but not enough consecutive periods to win those close games.”
It was a difficult period for the Tuskers through the T20 competition as they lost some players to injury. With a bit of a break, they will welcome some players back to the squad.
With half the season completed, Amla does believe that this team have grown considerably.
“There is no doubt the players are developing with the exposure to this level, some of the younger guys will learn from this and become very good cricketers.
“Unfortunately we have had a spate of injuries in the last two weeks with some players out for a prolonged period, so we are going to need guys to put their best forward and grab their chances,” he mentioned.
It’s going to be a crucial second half of the season for the Tuskers who will need to produce some good results in order to climb up the overall log. For Amla though, the plans and goals remain the same.
“Our goal remains steadfast as there is a lot still to achieve and plenty of games that we need to win in order to remain in this division. Team is focused and ready to give it a full go so that we can head into the new year looking forward to getting some wins again.”
The Tuskers squad will include the likes of captain Michael Erlank who returns from injury, while they will be without Andile Mogakane who has withdrawn from the squad due to personal reasons.
This week the Tuskers have got two loan players in Yaseen Valli from South Western Districts and Jean du Plessis from the Dafabet Warriors.
Moothee Ram Tuskers Squad v WSB Western Province: Malcolm Nofal, Chad Laycock, Kagiso Rapulana, Marcelo Piedt, Renaldo Meyer, Sean Gilson, Ntando Zuma, Bamanye Xenxe, Sean Whitehead, Daryn Dupavillon, Ziyaad Abrahams, Jean du Plessis, Yaseen Valli, Michael Erlank.
Source: cricket.co.za
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