Zaahier Adams
The key to winning any competition is the ability to peak at the right moments, and Western Province opener Daniel Smith certainly feels they are hitting their straps ahead of the CSA T20 Challenge play-off today.
Province have endured a topsy-turvy round-robin phase, with Salieg Nackerdien’s team edging through to the knockouts in fourth place. Province will now face third-placed North West in the Eliminator at the Wanderers today.
Last season’s CSA 1-Day Cup champions have certainly shown their ability to win virtual knockout matches by beating both the power-packed Lions and Knights in the final two matches when qualification was on the line.
“We knew what was at stake on Friday night, and the boys most definitely executed their game plans with both bat and ball. The way we started with the ball put them under pressure. We knew it was a really good wicket, so we just wanted to execute our game plans as batters,” Smith said.
“We knew if we did that for long periods of time, so I’m really glad about the performance. We are slowly becoming tighter as a unit and getting to where we want to be as a team.
“We have gained a lot of confidence from the last two games. I personally feel we haven’t played our best cricket, so I think we are peaking at the right time.”
It helped that Smith has also found some form after moving up to open the batting in Proteas Test star David Bedingham’s absence. The lanky left-hander struck a silky 57 off 33 balls (9x4) to get Province going in the Powerplay before the in-form Eddie Moore took them home with an undefeated 31.
“Yeah, very happy with my performance. The team did really well. I feel like I haven’t been at my best the last couple of games, so I’m just happy to finally get some runs under my belt going into an important week.
“It gives me a lot of confidence going into the week, and I am really excited for what this week holds for us as a team. It is important that when you are in the driving seat not to give the other team a sniff, and I think we did that very well on Friday night.
“It’s all about taking responsibility and winning games for your team. The way Eddie did it there, he has done it a couple of times now. He has been outstanding in this tournament, the way he finished the game off.”
Moore has certainly been Province’s standout batter of the tournament, with the left-hander leading the national run-scorers list with 265 runs at an average of 88.33 and a strike rate of 148.87.
Tonight’s play-off could be a battle royal between Moore and North West’s Janneman Malan, with the Province old boy sitting in second place with 247 runs. Smith, though, feels the entire Province team are eager to get one over the Dragons after falling short at JB Marks Oval during the league phase.
“It was very disappointing losing to them in Potch, so the boys are raring to go. Hopefully, we can get one back on them, especially playing at the Wanderers - a neutral venue,” he said.
“It is going to be a very exciting game. As a team, we know that we weren’t at our best when we played them in Potch. And the game was super close. Hopefully, we can come out on top.”