Durban — The equation is simple for MI Cape Town: Win or bust!
That’s the quagmire Simon Katich’s star-studded squad find themselves in heading to the Highveld this weekend for their final two games of the Betway SA20.
It is often said that sporting results are not formulated on a team sheet. It is out there on the grass, between the white lines, in the middle of the pitch where it's done.
And it’s here where MI Cape Town have let themselves down badly. They are a squad that seemingly have all their bases covered, with even high quality in reserve.
But yet they remain in second last position on the Betway SA20 table with just 13 points, which includes three victories from eight matches. It has left them having to win their final two matches against the Pretoria Capitals and Joburg Super Kings, while hoping that a few other results also go their way.
Captain Rashid Khan is certainly under no illusions about what is expected of his team up on the Highveld.
“We now have to win our last two games. Every game is a knock out and a must-win if we have to be in the top four. We need to play smart cricket and don't have to put pressure on ourselves. (We need to) just take it one game at a time and give our 100 percent,” the MICT skipper said.
Arguably the most disappointing aspect of MI Cape Town’s performances has been the lack of runs from their top order. Bar the opening match against the Paarl Royals, the inexperience of opening batters Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton and Grant Roeloefson has been exposed, especially in assessing conditions against the new ball at the coastal venues.
This has left the likes of George Linde and Rassie van der Dussen to perform rebuilding jobs on a consistent basis, while new recruit Tim David found himself in a similar position on his MICT debut against Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead on Thursday.
This has not allowed the middle-order to fully express themselves and Van der Dussen has called on his teammates to collectively raise their games over the next week.
“We just haven't found a way to put consistently good performances together. But we've got to win the remaining games and hope that some results go our way as I am not sure what the equation is. We've got some superstars in our line-up, but we haven't been able to fire together,” Van der Dussen said.
MI Cape Town should have England superstar Jofra Archer, who is fresh off taking a career-best six-for in the final ODI against South Africa, back in their line-up for the two crucial matches after recuperating after his international duties.
IOL Sport