Johannesburg – Knights' cricket coach Sarel Cilliers is pleased with the way things are shaping up ahead of Thursday's opening game in the 2013/14 domestic four-day match against the Chevrolet Warriors at Buffalo Park.
Last season, three four-day matches were abandoned without a ball being bowled, all of them involving the Knights. Cilliers' team were also involved in three drawn matches.
That left few opportunities to advance a claim that they were better than their fifth-placed finish suggested, but now Cilliers feels they are ready to make the most of what the new season offers.
“Some of the guys who were released for senior provincial cricket over the weekend had some time in the middle, which was great to see, while others were rained out in Durban,” Cilliers said of the last round of provincial three-day games.
“The rest that remained behind spent three days in a camp to prepare. We had some good wickets, and we've had HD Ackerman in as a consultant, so the preparation has been exactly what we needed.”
Although the Knights finished fifth in the Momentum One-Day Cup, they at least ended on a high as they comfortably beat the Lions in their final match.
That cannot be said for the Warriors, who suffered a huge loss to The Titans.
Warriors' coach Piet Botha is hoping his players can put that behind them.
“I think the important point for us is to try to reach our goals for each competition,” said Botha.
“Although we didn't manage that in the first one, we've already set our goals for the second one.
“Also, the fact that we improved quite nicely in the four-day game last season gives us a lot of motivation and encouragement to continue in that vein.” – Sapa