Johannesburg - The Knights are hoping to have Dean Elgar back in their side for the clash against the Dolphins at Chevrolet Park, which will decide whether they finish anywhere from first to third on the domestic four-day table.
Elgar has a 50 percent chance of recovering from an Achilles' tendon problem picked up during the Test series against Australia, and could play a crucial role in scoring the big first-innings total the Knights will be looking for.
“He's 50-50. He batted in the nets on Tuesday, but the batting isn't the problem at the moment, it's the running,” Knights captain Werner Coetsee said.
“He wants to play though, so if he makes it that will be a big bonus for us.”
Quinton Friend is in doubt with a slight hamstring problem. Duanne Olivier is standing by.
The best-case scenario for the Knights is that the Cobras are bowled out for less than 150 and take less than three wickets in their first innings, and go on to lose to the Highveld Lions.
In that case, the Knights could overtake them by scoring at least 355 runs and taking nine wickets in their first innings on their way to a victory.
However, for every point that the Cobras pick up, the Knights would need an extra 50 runs in their first innings.
Coetsee said that the hosts would not go all out for runs from the beginning, but would take confidence from their last game, when they came close to scoring the 403 runs they required for victory on the final day against the Titans.
“A hundred overs is a long time so I don't think you can go all guns blazing, but the guys are batting well so they can just play.
“We'd like to put ourselves in a position where we can make decisions, because otherwise it doesn't help our cause at all.”
Sapa