The Pretoria Capitals’ poor run of form has left them in a do-or-die situation to rescue their SA20 season.
The Pretoria-based outfit are winless in three matches, and they are currently second from bottom with nine points from their six matches ahead of Saturday’s away clash against Paarl Royals (1pm start).
In a season that is turning out to be more open than the first two editions, none of the six sides have the luxury of resting on their laurels, as with bonus points wins on offer and only seven points separating second-placed MI Cape Town and second-from-bottom Capitals, the race for the top three spots is heating up.
The Capitals have a team that is on paper destined for greatness, but their season has not lived up to expectations as they continue to struggle to shake off their inconsistency with only a few matches left in the round-robin stage.
Their two-run loss in a match they should have won against the Durban’s Super Giants earlier in the season will continue to haunt them.
One could argue that the two no-results against the Joburg Super Kings and the return fixture against the Super Giants are also proving costly in terms of them potentially having a positive outcome.
Outside the results, the team could have also had a consistent run of matches without breaks in between.
But the recent loss against the Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be one that potentially could rewrite their future, as they not only lost against a direct competitor in places for the next round, but their poor showing with the bat also exposed them to a bonus-point loss.
Chasing 150 runs to win, the Pretoria outfit could only manage 97 in 16.3 overs after they reduced the home side to 53/5 in the 10th over.
Capitals coach Jonathan Trott believes his side could have done better on the night, and he was impressed with how Sunrisers skipper Aiden Markram (68 off 55 balls) applied himself following the loss of early wickets.
“I thought the way that Markram played was good. I thought he read the situation and conditions really well, and did what was needed for his side at the time. He played a match-winning knock, but his bowlers bowled well as well,” Trott said.
“I think it would have been nice if our batters had recognised that and played accordingly as well, and adjusted the way he did.
“We were not up for the challenge, and we couldn’t do the basics well enough for long enough.”
📝 Team Update
Wayne Parnell will unfortunately not be part of the remainder of this season's @SA20_League with the Pretoria Capitals.
We extend our gratitude for his unwavering commitment to the team, both on & off the field. Your impact has been truly special, Wayne 🫶🏻 pic.twitter.com/G50K9snS6P
The former English batter added that his side need to win the rest of their matches to get back on track, and he has asked his players to put in the required performances.
“There is no better chance than going to Paarl (Royals) next game, and try to get a win there. We have four games remaining and we must try and win them all,” he said.
“The chat around the team is about performing, and performing to win games.
“It’s getting to crunch time now, and people need to start putting their hands up and start winning games, or start contributing to winning games of cricket.” | Independent Media Sport