KZN Inland Tuskers players celebrate a wicket during a CSA T20 Challenge game KZN Inland Tuskers players celebrate a wicket during a CSA T20 Challenge game. Photo: Gallo Images via Point of Difference Media
Following on from their resounding win over the Lions in the CSA T20 Challenge, the Tuskers continue their campaign against Western Province at Newlands on Wednesday.
The two sides have already met this season with Western Province winning by seven wickets so the Tuskers will be eager to turn things around when they face off again.
Tuskers seamer Keith Dudgeon produced the most magical opening over the tournament has seen when he reduced the Lions to 0/3 and then 3/4 in a devastating spell of seam bowling. That set up the win for the men from Pietermaritzburg.
Captain Michael Erlank feels that the spell from Dudgeon went a long way in building the confidence of his side as they head into the rest of the competition.
"This game against Western Province is going to be massive for us especially after that win over the Lions," Erlank said.
"I think that win has given us a lot of self-belief and I think that that will be injected into the team. We have to take this competition one game at a time but there is definitely more self-belief in the team.
"A result like that really helps a lot after the tough start to the competition that we had."
For Erlank, the margins are small between them winning and losing and he feels that they are following the correct processes but have just fallen short on occasion.
"We've just got to keep training hard and doing what we have been doing because we need to keep believing that we can string good performances together.
"Stringing good performances together over longer periods of time is the most important thing for us at the moment and we are working really ahrd on doing that more often.
"We've shown through the season that we can perform at this level but we've done it for short periods which has been frustrating," he added.
With ten matches left in the competition and in the season, the aims for Erlank and his Tuskers team are fairly simple.
"We want to stay up in Division 1 and that means that we are going to have to win a few more games and get ourselves up the table.
"For now though we are going to take every game as it comes and work hard to put some good performances together.
"Getting those wins and putting ourselves in strong positions will give us the best chance of staying up next season," Erlank commented.
The Tuskers play Western Province on Wednesday and then take on the Hollywoodbets Dolphins on 1 April.
Point of Difference Media
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