Johannesburg – Following a defeat in their last outing, Titans' coach Rob Walter says he is fully aware of the importance of Friday's One-Day Cup clash against the Dolphins at Willowmoore Park, in Benoni.
“It's pretty much down to a must-win game every time we play,” Walter said on Thursday.
“We've got ourselves into this position, but we've got to take it one game at a time and focus on getting our skills right and our thinking right.”
The Titans, who are currently fourth in the One-Day Cup standings with 11 points, are seven behind the third-placed Warriors and will look to bounce back from their loss to the Cobras on Sunday.
The Titans looked set for victory when rain washed out the two sides' previous encounter in Durban two weeks ago. Friday's hosts will also be encouraged by the fact that the Dolphins were defeated by the Knights earlier this week.
Lance Klusener's side appeared to have the game in the bag when they reduced the Knights to 141/8, having set 232 in their innings.
However, Dillon du Preez and Quinton Friend knocked off the target with ease.
“I think it was an outstanding partnership, and sometimes you do walk into an opposition who get it right, which is acceptable,” Klusener said of Wednesday's loss.
“But, at the same time, we let ourselves down a bit in terms of the execution of our plans and skills.
“For me it's a mixture of both and we'll sit down and talk about it and hopefully sort it out.
“We're seriously disappointed that it ended up that way, but if you are going to get a wake-up call somewhere in the competition, then it's better sooner rather than later.”
One concern for Friday's game is the Willowmoore Park pitch.
During the previous game there, Jacques Rudolph's hand was broken after the pitch produced some erratic bounce.
“I haven't had a look at it, but I would just assume that after the way things went in the last game they 1/8ground staff 3/8 would have spent a lot of time trying to ensure that we don't get the same type of surface again,” Walter said. – Sapa