Struggling Tuskers target good results in testing week

Moothie Ram Tuskers, the local professional cricket team currently campaigning in the Cricket SA’s Division 1, are in action today away in Pretoria against the Titansin the One-Day Cup. This week’s fixtures will be challenging for Pietermaritzburg’s Men In Blue as after their game in Jacaranda City, they will stay on the road as they travel to Cape Town to play against Western Province on Sunday. Since the start of the current season Tuskers have been struggling to settle down in the elite league.

The KZN Inland CE0, Jason Sathiaseelan, agreed that moving from Division 2 and to Division 1 was a big shift and the team battled. Sathiaseelan also said they were disappointed that their game against North West last week did not go according to their plans. “Against North West we probably conceded about 40 runs too much and our batters got starts but did not go onto a big score … this was disappointing ,” he said.

The Tuskers’ fixture at home against their “noisy neighbours”, the Dolphins, was also ruined by the unpredictable weather. “We were in a good position against the Dolphins. The bowlers were really good and it is a pity that the weather had the final say,” said Sathiaseelan.

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We needed to win and that would have made a huge difference to the league log. Sathiaseelan is aware that their opponents on Thursday will be difficult customers, but stressed that they are well prepared for the clash. “Titans are a strong outfit and have some of their Protea players back but the lads are up for it.” The Inland CEO said that although their campaign in Division 1 is not going smoothly at the moment, the entire team deserves praise for their discipline and commitment.

“The guys have given their best in Division 1, but it just was not to be. We lacked the experience to convert stats into big scores, but the experience gained will be invaluable to the players in their personal development.

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