WHILE the Warriors have been docked points, were fined a monetary fine of R500 000 and lost a playoff spot as a result amid the ongoing transformation saga in the CSA One Day Cup, the Titans have also been on the receiving end of the situation.
The Titans have gone from hosting Wednesday’s qualifier at SuperSport Park in Centurion against the Warriors to having their opponents changed and losing the home-ground advantage they would have had, had the situation not happened.
Now, coach Richard das Neves’ team is currently faced with new opponents in the Dolphins and will play in a set of entirely different conditions at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Wednesday.
Upon arriving in Durban on Tuesday, Das Neves acknowledged that the sudden changes would potentially have an impact but also stood firm in that his team is well-balanced enough to be able to come out on the winning side of the current situation.
“Yes, potentially (the changes will have an impact),” Das Neves told Independent Media. “Obviously, we would have liked to play in front of our home crowd. I think our batters are very well suited to our conditions at SuperSport Park but we are professional cricketers and we play cricket.”
Though the interim head coach acknowledged the impact that CSA’s decision might have on his team’s chances of making the final, he stood firm in not being involved in the drama and politics associated with the ongoing transformation saga between CSA and the Warriors and /or Eastern Province Cricket.
“We stay out of the politics. If that means we have to travel, it’s not the first time that we’ve been to Durban or Paarl. It is what it is,” said Das Neves.
“From a cricketing perspective, me and the team are perfectly fine with whatever happens. “We’re actually in good form as a team. We’ve won at home and away from home in the last four games so we’re perfectly fine with having to come to Durban to play.”
With regard to the contrary conditions between the surfaces at SuperSport Park and Kingsmead, Das Neves believes that he has enough options on his side to make the necessary adjustment in the qualifier on Wednesday.
After all, Das Neves has potent spinners in Tsepo Ndwandwa who picked up a five-for the last time they played at Kingsmead. Alongside Ndwandwa, there is the experienced Roelof van der Merwe and part-time spinner in Neil Brand who could best exploit the conditions at Kingsmead.
“With regard to Durban, we’ll have a look at the wicket and see what it tosses out for us but it has tended to spin over the last couple of seasons,” said Das Neves.
“I’m not sure how much prep they have done into the wicket having had short notice of a playoff. But, our squad is pretty well stocked with various options in terms of pace, spin, skill and in terms of different batters for different conditions. We’ll just adjust accordingly to what we see and try to make the best decision for the team.”
The qualifier between the Dolphins and Titans is set to get underway at 1pm SAST on Wednesday.
