Province looking at youngsters to carry red-ball campaign

Zaahier Adams

Western Province captain Beuran Hendricks believes his team will carry the confidence gained from a successful T20 Challenge competition into the CSA 4-Day Series starting tomorrow.

Province finished third in the T20 Challenge, losing to the Titans in Qualifier 2 at Centurion, but showed plenty of fight and gumption to qualify for the play-offs before beating NW Dragons in the Eliminator after a sluggish start.

However, after a month of white-ball short format cricket, the focus now switches to the 4-Day Series campaign with an away fixture against the Dolphins at Kingsmead. Province has some unfinished business in the red-ball format after progressing to the final at the Wanderers last year, where they dominated large parts of the match, before a miraculous comeback by the Lions saw the Cape side finish as runners-up.

"Obviously, we draw a lot of confidence from getting to the semi-final in the T20 format with most of our core on national duty," Hendricks said.

"It’s the case now with the start of the 4-Day Series, but it also gives our depth opportunities to showcase their skills in the format. With us being in the final last year, we really want to make sure that we start on a good note against the Dolphins. So, yeah, it will be a really exciting week for us."

The Dolphins have had extra time to prepare for the red-ball season after missing out on the T20 play-offs. While the quick turnaround for Province does concern Hendricks, he is confident the team will be able to make the necessary adjustments.

"There’s been some time constraints from finishing the T20’s on Friday to building the load needed for 4-Day cricket, but the guys are ready and really excited about the opportunity to play against the Dolphins," the veteran left-arm seam bowler said.

"The preparation has started off very well for us, coming from the T20 competition and going into the four-day series. With the bat and ball, we've just been fine-tuning the patience that's needed in the red-ball format.

“With the bat, it's obviously spending time in the middle. And then with the ball, it's making sure that we stay consistent on the areas that we need to hone in on."

Province will be without a core of Proteas in David Bedingham, Tony de Zorzi, Kyle Verreynne, and Dane Paterson, who are all on international duty in Bangladesh, while left-arm express Nandre Burger has also been ruled out with a long-term injury. The 4-Day Series squad therefore remains primarily the same group of players that did duty during the T20 Challenge, although there is a recall for veteran top-order batter Yaseen Vallie.

Teenage all-rounder Oliver Whitehead has also been rewarded with a 4-Day Series call-up after a high-quality senior WP debut in Qualifier 2 against the Titans, where the former SACS prodigy impressed with bat, ball, and in the field.

WP Squad for Dolphins at Kingsmead: Beuran Hendricks (capt), George Linde, Kyle Simmonds, Oliver Whitehead, Liyema Waqu, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Mihlali Mpongwana, Wesley Bedja, Daniel Smith (wk), Valentine Kitime, Jono Bird, Eddie Moore, Yaseen Vallie, Bongi Mfunelwa.