With the Titans/Warriors CSA 4-Day Franchise Series encounter at Centurion having gone right down to the wire, Eddie Moore was grateful to have held out in staggering conditions that seemed to have favoured the new ball.
Moore, who opened proceedings, scored an important 110 in the Warriors’ first innings when his closest allies – Matthew Breetzke (5), Kabelo Sekhukhune (2) and Rudi Second (4) – all fell victim to the onslaught that the wicket imposed.
His knock laid a solid foundation for the side when they were knocked to their knees. Fortunately, he was later able to render a stern 162-run partnership with No 5 incumbent Diego Rosier.
“It’s always a big one against the Titans – they’ve always been one of the strongest teams around and they’re a team you want to perform against,” Moore told Cricket Fanatics Magazine.
“I enjoyed my knock against them,” he said, referring to the tricky conditions and how his spell broke the ice when the going got tough.
“If I remember correctly, seven wickets were lost in the first session of day one, six wickets in the first session on the second day and five wickets on the third day in the first session.
“It felt like it was a new-ball wicket and if you get through that period you can set yourself up for some big runs, so I was fortunate to get a nice partnership going with Diego.
“I didn’t know the game was going to be that tight when it literally [came down] to the last man standing. I couldn’t believe it. What an unbelievable victory to be a part of and what a key performance it was.”
Rosier managed to score a helpful 85 and his and Moore’s contributions steered the Warriors to a 124-run lead in a low-scoring affair after the first innings.
With the fourth and final day having been a nail-biting eventuality when the Warriors needed 56 runs to win with just three wickets in hand, that’s when middle-order batsman Lesiba Ngoepe stepped up to the plate.
Ngoepe scored a vital 52 runs in their pursuit of their winning target and after the first six batsmen departed for less than 30 in the second innings, this made his task evermore definitive.
The No 7 Ngoepe combined soundly with the No 8 Marco Jansen’s 55 to persevere through the chaos and remain at the crease at the start of the fourth day. Jansen was dismissed near the end of the third day.
“My role is quite key because you kind of get close to facing that new ball – I get in mostly around the 70th to 80th overs depending on the starts we have. It’s very important for us as the middle-order to make sure we get a decent total on the board,” Ngoepe said.
“It’s not all the time that the top-order is going to come off. We play a crucial role in that middle period and you’ve got to be positive because that’s the route we’re looking to go as a side.
“We’re looking to play positive cricket regardless of the situations or conditions and it’s really a nice environment to be a part of,” he said, explaining that “execution” was paramount to the sort of outcome they as middle-orders aim to furnish.
“I’m always looking to score, regardless of the situation.” He added that when he walked into bat against the Titans the team was on 60-5 and that he decided to “counter-attack and take the game forward to them”.
“That’s when I got a partnership [going] with Marco, who also just played freely.”
The pair amassed an 84-run partnership, which was essential in the context of the game as the Warriors managed to rough it out and win by just 1 wicket.
This proved to be a good example of how important the different roles can be within a batting unit.
The Warriors are set to face the Lions in their next 4-day encounter at St. George’s Park today.
