The Highveld Lions and the Dolphins will be desperate to climb out of the basement of the MTN40 competition when they clash in a limited overs game in Potchefstroom on Wednesday.
Neither side have tasted victory in the revamped competition and although it is early days, it will be important for both sides to start moving in the right direction.
The Dolphins will only be playing their second match of the competition and are probably still getting to grips with the tactics required under the new playing conditions.
They lost narrowly to the Warriors at home on Friday and it will be important that they bounce back quickly.
Loots Bosman makes a welcome return to the Dolphins squad after his successful sojourn to Hong Kong for the six-a-side tournament won by South Africa.
Bosman replaces HD Ackerman in the only change to the team who lost to the Warriors.
The Dolphins are set for a busy period, playing again on Friday, against the Cape Cobras in Cape Town, and on Sunday when they host the Diamond Eagles in Durban.
Captain Imraan Khan is upbeat ahead of the two away games and feels his side can turn the tide after the setback against the Warriors.
”It’s good to have Loots back in the team,” said Khan.
”He’s coming from a high after winning the Hong Kong Sixes and is a fantastic one-day player.
”We conceded too many runs in the last 10 overs against the Warriors, which cost us the match. It was definitely not a 213-wicket but rather a 180-wicket.
”Having said that, we want to forget about the past and win our next two games.”
The Dolphins will also be looking to national player Hashim Amla to fire against the Lions in his last game before joining up with his Proteas teammates to prepare for the English.
The Lions, meanwhile, will be looking to tighten up in their bowling department after conceding high scores in their two matches so far.
They failed to defend a decent total of 286 for six in their first game against the Cobras, losing by seven wickets in Johannesburg, and then conceded 286 against the Diamond Eagles and a rampant Morne van Wyk in Bloemfontein to lose by 104 runs.
At the Potchefstroom venue, which usually favours the batsmen, it won’t get any easier, but coach Dave Nosworthy will be using the experience gained from the first two MTN games to try to turn things around on Wednesday.
The Lions have brought England leftarm spinner Monty Panesar into their squad and it will be interesting to see whether he can add some stability to the attack. — Sapa