Proteas coach Mickey Arthur on Monday expressed satisfaction with the form of several key players after two rounds of the SuperSport Series domestic competition.
The final group of four national players will be released to their franchises for this week’s third round, with Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher available for the log-leading Chevrolet Warriors, and AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn for the Nashua Titans.
There is slight doubt about Steyn’s availability, though, as he has been struggling for the past week with an attack of sinusitis.
This means that the only nationally contracted player still sitting out is Proteas captain Graeme Smith, but he is rehabilitating on schedule from his elbow injury and is expected to return in time for the MTN one-day series against Bangladesh next month.
Arthur pointed to the centuries scored at the weekend by JP Duminy and Neil McKenzie and the wickets taken by Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini. ”It was particularly pleasing to see McKenzie opening the batting for the Highveld Lions, as this is where he plays for the Castle Test squad.
”Another encouraging sign was to see Albie Morkel having his first bowl of the season after his troublesome shoulder injury. He is exactly where we want him to be in terms of his preparation for the Standard Bank one-day squad.
”Lonwabo Tsotsobe was also impressive for the Chevrolet Warriors and he is one of the players outside the contracted group whom we will be looking at during our training camp later this month.”
Thursday’s match at East London’s Buffalo Park between the Chevrolet Warriors and the Nashua Titans is shaping up as potentially one of the best domestic first-class games seen for some time. The Warriors have six nationally contracted players and the Titans have five.
Other third-round matches see the Nashua Cape Cobras at home for the first time this season against the Nashua Dolphins at Paarl, and the champion Gestetner Diamond Eagles, currently third on the log, at home to the Highveld Lions at Bloemfontein’s OUTsurance Oval. — Sapa