MI Cape Town all-rounder George Linde hopes ‘Lady Luck’ will shine on them at Newlands on Sunday when they face the Paarl Royals in the second instalment of the SA20 Western Cape derby.
The Royals won the first encounter between the sides by one run at Boland Park on Friday after Linde’s attempted six for victory landed just short of the boundary rope.
MI Cape Town have yet to win this season, having only collected two points from an abandoned fixture after four matches.
Considering the amount of talent within the defending champions’ squad, Linde feels that with a bit of good fortune coming their way, the results are bound to change.
“I just feel like we’re a little bit unlucky at times. A few mistakes here and there,” Linde said. “It happens in cricket. But I reckon we have a good chance of beating them at Newlands.
“There’s a lot of experience in the squad. One thing I know is these guys know how to bounce back. One thing this team can show is fight.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Paarl Royals vs MI Cape Town
MI Cape Town hold the advantage of never having lost to Paarl Royals in three previous encounters at Newlands.
It is for this reason that Royals all-rounder Sikandar Raza feels the visitors cannot rest on their laurels after their nail-biting victory on Friday.
“The good thing about these high-profile leagues is that momentum swings here and there but what a win does to you, it gives you confidence,” said Raza, who is the first Zimbabwean to play in SA20.
“We’ve seen what they can do, they’ve seen what we can do, the beauty about cricket is if you’re not evolving, if you’re not trying to stay ahead, the opposition will definitely catch you.
“So, I think what’s really important for the next game is that how best can we do what we did today better because if we stay the same, then I think it’s going to be difficult to win the game.
“You have to do things better and we have to do it better because they will come up with better plans. The real challenge is can we do what we did today better.”
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Raza made a major impact on his SA20 debut, claiming 3-27 with the ball, including the big wickets of MICT openers Ryan Rickelton and Rassie van der Dussen.
The off-spinner was just grateful that he could show off his talents and skill in the league.
“I thought I’ll take this opportunity when Paarl came and I’m truly humbled by the fact that they decided to sign me,” Raza said.
“I think the crowd and on TV that I’ve watched, the crowd plays a huge part, so I’m lucky enough to actually experience that and all the stories that I’ve heard about this league are actually true.
“I think what’s cool about this league, of course the standard is pretty high, it is great for my own cricket growth and development and also I always believe once a Zimbabwean goes somewhere, he tries to open doors for other Zimbabweans, so that was also the case because there hasn’t been any Zimbabwean that has played SA20 in those three years.”
Sunday’s SA20 match gets underway at 3:30pm.
Photo: Shaun Roy/Sportzpics
