The Warriors' first Domestic Cup 50-over limited-overs cricket match against the Knights at Buffalo Park on Friday will for them be a matter of do or die.
They know full well they cannot afford to lose any of their home games if they wish to advance to the finals of the competition.
The Eastern Cape franchise is currently languishing at the bottom of the four-day SuperSport log, having lost all three of the matches they have played thus far.
However, the Warriors have become a power-house in the one-day format, winning two trophies in the 2009/10 season, and reaching the final of the Pro20 competition last year.
Warriors head coach Piet Botha is confident that the team will do well Friday.
“The strength in our squad lies in experience,” he said on Thursday.
“In the SuperSport we had young guys learning while coming through the ranks. The one-day side is more balanced and this brings confidence to the team.”
On the appointment of Colin Ingram as the one-day captain, Botha said that Ingram was unavailable for the Warriors before this game because of international commitments.
“I think Colin’s got the right make-up – he’s passionate about the Warriors and is a deep thinker about the game and plays by example.”
Botha is happy to start the one-day campaign at Buffalo Park as the Warriors have an excellent win-lose ratio at the ground in limited-overs matches.
“Look, in franchise cricket there’s no easy game,” Botha said.
“The Knights have an established team, are very experienced and are strong in all formats. But we’ve got a good record in East London – the slower conditions tend to suit our game,”
However, things are not all that easy in the cut-throat cricket arena and the dangerman with the ball could be international Johan van der Wath, who almost single-handedly won last weekend’s SuperSport match for the Knights with some excellent pace bowling.
TEAMS: Warriors: Colin Ingram (capt), Jon Jon Smuts, Arno Jacobs, Ashwell Prince, Justin Kreusch, Johan Botha, Craig Thyssen, Nicky Boje, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Andrew Birch, Makhaya Ntini, Athenkosi Dyili.
Knights: Morne van Wyk (captain), Reeza Hendricks, Boeta Dippenaar, Rilee Rossouw, Obus Pienaar, Ryan Bailey, Werner Coetsee, Johan van der Wath, Charl Pietersen, Michael Erlank, Dillon du Preez, Shadley van Schalkwyk. Coach: Sarel Cilliers. Umpires: Murray Brown and Cliff Isaacs. Third umpire: Ian Howell. Match Referee: Barry Lambson. – Sapa