Thursday, February 1, 2024: The Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town have a clearer plan for their back-to-back miniseries starting on Thursday at Centurion: defeat the other team twice and (especially for MICT) secure at least one bonus point. There is only one SA20 2024 Playoff spot left.
After losing on Wednesday, the Johannesburg Super Kings have one game remaining and are currently in fourth position with 13 points; if they can defeat the top-of-the-table Durban Super Giants on Saturday, they can advance to a maximum of 18 points.
MICT, now on 9 points, would need an additional point to go to 18, which would narrow the difference between them and the Capitals in terms of net run rate and victories. The Capitals, now on 10 points, may qualify for the playoffs with two straight wins.
Caps skipper Wayne Parnell did not want to spend too much time analyzing why the two seasons had been so different for the men in blue after the team’s fifth loss of 2024 (they had only lost four times overall in 2023) against Durban’s Super Giants on Tuesday.
We’ve missed key opportunities in a number of games, which is likely why we lost. It’s a combination of factors. Even so, every game has had its share of positive moments, but those are the ones that determine whether you win or lose.
Now that they were playing MI Cape Town twice in a row, Parnell decided to hold out hope.
We’ll have to wait and see where we end up after our two group games, where there is still a lot to play for.
The pain of Monday’s rain-affected bonus-point loss to the Johannesburg Super Kings, however, was evident to MI Cape Town head coach Robin Peterson.
You feel a little bit cheated, so it’s difficult to take, but that’s cricket. We’ll simply aim to win our next two games; that’s all we can concentrate on. You can’t have it all in life.
When it came to the duty that awaited his troops, Peterson shared Parnell’s thoughts.
We have two games left to win in order to qualify, so we’re still optimistic. It is true that we require two results, but that is the essence of the competition—anyone can defeat anybody. What makes this event so amazing is that everyone is still alive.
Even though MICT is in a grave situation, Peterson has nothing but praise for Kieron Pollard, their captain, who led MI New York to victory in Major League Cricket the previous year.
“In our changing room, we have one of the greatest players of all time who lives and breathes MI Cape Town and gives it his all. As an illustration, consider his decision to step up on Monday rather than bat first. We couldn’t ask for more from the people on this team than what he has given us in terms of leadership, composure, and cricket knowledge, but above all, he plays with passion.
“He’s given this team his all, and he won’t stop trying until the very last ball is bowled for this team. His dedication to this MI Cape Town is admirable. We feel extremely fortunate and content that he is a part of our changing room. The boys, particularly the local guys, are picking up a lot of knowledge from him about being a professional as well as cricket. Pollard is also a great person to chat with if you want to succeed in life.
Entire squads for the centurion Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town
Wayne Parnell, captain of the Pretoria Capitals, is joined by Colin Ackermann, Matthew Boast, Corbin Bosch, Eathan Bosch, Shane Dadswell, Theunis de Bruyn, Daryn Dupavillon, Colin Ingram, Will Jacks, Senuran Muthusamy, Migael Pretorius, Adil Rashid, Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt, Jacques Snyman, Tiaan van Vuuren, Kyle Verreynne, and Hardus Viljoen, among others.
Tom Banton, Chris Benjamin, Dewald Brevis, Sam Curran, Connor Esterhuizen, Beuran Hendricks, Duan Jansen, Thomas Kaber, George Linde, Liam Livingstone, Delano Potgieter, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Grant Roelofsen, Olly Stone, Nuwan Thushara, Rassie van der Dussen, and Nealan van Heerden are with Kieron Pollard, captain of MI
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