Johannesburg – The Titans' resilience in the latter part of the season has impressed coach Rob Walter ahead of their One-Day Cup qualifier against the Dolphins in Durban on Tuesday.
Ten days ago, the Titans faced a seemingly impossible mission knowing they needed to win five straight games if they were to lift the trophy.
“That's something I reinforce to the guys every day, that in every game someone will have an opportunity to make a play and really be the difference,” said Walter.
“We don't know who that will be on the day, but when your chance does come you need to be open to making that contribution, and that's really what the guys have done.”
The Titans went into the last round of games knowing they needed to beat the Warriors with a bonus point to guarantee a place in the top three, with Heino Kuhn's century clinching a memorable victory.
Kuhn decided to hand the wicketkeeping gloves to Mangaliso Mosehle midway through the competition to focus on his batting.
“We just took a collective decision that in order for him (Kuhn) to play for South Africa, he needs to be seen as a top-order batter, and while he's keeping, he will always be seen as a keeper who bats,” Walter said.
“It's so far, so good, and for his sake I hope things continue because it's quite a big decision to make and it's a selfless decision to make because at the time, it was also made for the best of the team.
“He deserves whatever successes he gets for being man enough to make that call.”
Walter expected to retain the same side that beat the Warriors so handsomely, unless conditions in Durban dictated otherwise given that the city has seen a fair bit of rain.
The Dolphins lost most of their practice on Monday to the weather and, although clear skies were forecast for Tuesday afternoon, coach Lance Klusener expected something to be there for the bowlers.
“Durban has been wet for the last couple of days so I think there will be a little bit in it tomorrow, but the wicket should remain the same for most of the game,” Klusener said.
“So it will come down to whoever plays best in those conditions.”
While the Titans have lost Henry Davids and David Wiese to the Proteas camp over the past week, the Dolphins boast a settled side.
“We've tried to work out a settled side as much as possible,” said Klusener.
“The last thing I want is people playing for their places and we've been lucky that in the last part of the season we've been able to settle a bit and get some continuity.”
The match starts at 3pm, and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
The winner will face the Cape Cobras in the One-Day Cup final at Newlands on Friday. – Sapa