Durban – Dolphins captain Morne van Wyk is confident his side's lack of experience in play-off situations will count for little when they come up against the Titans in their domestic One-Day Cup qualifier in Durban on Tuesday.
The KwaZulu-Natal franchise meet their counterparts from Pretoria in what is effectively a semi-final at Kingsmead, with the winner set to meet the Cape Cobras in the final at Newlands on Friday.
The Dolphins had rarely reached the latter stages of limited-overs competitions in recent seasons, while their counterparts had a far superior record in knock-out cricket.
“We don’t have anything to fear or worry about (in terms of lack of experience),” Van Wyk said on Monday.
“We have everything it takes. We go into tomorrow with fresh minds and a lot of confidence.
“They're a well-balanced side and have had a nice run in the last few games to get here. But I think we have enough to take care of business.”
The Titans had twice won the trophy in the past seven seasons, and were also Twenty20 champions on two occasions, while the Dolphins had remained empty-handed during the same period.
However, former Protea wicketkeeper, who signed with the Durban franchise at the start of the season, believed their progress this year had already been positive.
“For me right now, we don't have anything to boast about. We're just taking care of business to try and get into a position where we can compete in the play-off games and hopefully get to another play-off game on Friday, although that's the last thing we're thinking about right now.
“We haven’t won anything, but maybe it has gone better lately. We've improved on a few things. As a team, and as individuals, we've shown tremendous growth over the course of the season.”
The Dolphins ended the regular season in second place, level on points with the Cape side, but achieving fewer victories.
Van Wyk said they were hungry to go even further in the competition.
“So there's definitely positives, but not the type that will allow us to sit back now and be happy with the improvement from the last couple of seasons.
“We want to pride ourselves on more than that. It's just another cricket game tomorrow, but this is the start of a process.”
In the two previous meetings of the sides this season, the Dolphins ran out five-wicket winners in Benoni, while their match in Durban ended in a washout.
More rain was forecast for Tuesday, although a reserve day had been set aside for Wednesday.
TEAMS
Dolphins: Keshav Maharaj, Divan van Wyk, Robbie Frylinck, Kyle Abbott, Daryn Smit, Craig Alexander, Morne van Wyk, Khaya Zondo, Imraan Khan, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Graham Onions, Cameron Delport and Cody Chetty.
Titans: Farhaan Behardien (Captain), Qaasim Adams, CJ de Villiers, JP de Villiers, Heino Kuhn, Francois le Clus, Ethy Mbhalati, Mangaliso Mosehle, Cobus Pienaar, Rowan Richards, Graeme van Buuren, Roelof van der Merwe and Shaun von Berg. – Sapa