Aiden Markram back for Titans

Aiden Markram is set to make his Titans return in the One Day Cup clash against the Dolphins on Thursday.

The Titans are buoyed by the return to action of such stars as Junior Dala and the fit-again Aiden Markram, who has been out of action for two months.

As the 50-over tournament closes in on the play-off stages, the defending champions are very keen to play their very best cricket, even after coming off an extended break from the competition.

“It’s been a long break for us, but we’ve used our time wisely,” explained assistant coach Geoff Toyana. “We’ve trained very, very well and we’ve come off two bonus-point wins in our last two games. We’ve prepared well over the last couple of weeks, and now we’re heading for a tough weekend.”

The game against the Dolphins coincides with Toyana’s birthday, and he would like nothing better than a win on the road from the squad.

“The Dolphins are playing some good cricket, but I believe we’ve got the armoury to counter them in Durban. There was a big improvement from the side as a whole in our last two games,” he pointed out. “Our death bowling in the first two games was not up to scratch, but we rectified that. We’ve played two perfect games; against the Warriors, we really bowled well up front and took wickets in the power play and the batters chased well,” Toyana added.

The Titans built on that win over the Warriors by dismantling the Cape Cobras under the mountain, with a fine century from Dean Elgar, and a strong finish from the evergreen Farhaan Behardien.

That change of form is now starting to repair the damage done by a slow start, and the Titans are looking for a big finish in the round-robin stages. In the break, a lot of players went off to play club and amateur cricket to stay sharp. Add the returning quality, and the Sky Blues are excited for the final stretch of the season.

“The Titans are always a very strong side and we’ve got plenty of quality players. Any Titans side is always going to be a strong side and there’s competition for places, which is healthy and good for us as a coaching staff. Guys like Aiden Markram are coming through, and he’s very good for us. He’s ready to go and he’s been hitting the ball sweetly,” Toyana said with relish.

The Dolphins lie in wait, but the Sky Blues are confident that they can go to the sea and steal away with the points- and a perfect birthday present for their young at heart mentor.

MOMENTUM MULTIPLY TITANS (FROM): Grant Thomson (Capt), Farhaan Behardien , Corbin Bosch, Neil Brand, Junior Dala, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Imraan Manack, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Aiden Markram, Alfred Mothoa, Diego Rosier, Kabelo Sekhukhune.