JOHANNESBURG – Multiply Titans coach Mark Boucher is pleased that some of his players are taking the opportunities being given to them in the Momentum One-Day Cup and hopes, even more will stand up and be counted when they travel to Cape Town to take on the World Sports Betting Cape Cobras on Friday.
Rivaldo Moonsamy and Andrea Agathangelou both scored maiden centuries for the reigning champions in their previous game – a 104-run triumph over the Warriors.
It was a result that helped the Centurion-based side to consolidate their position at the top of the table and they will be looking to follow that up with another positive result against the only side that has beaten them thus far in the competition.
The Titans continue to lose players, either due to injury or national call-ups, with Lungi Ngidi the latest to leave their camp after he was called up by the Standard Bank Proteas.
“The only thing that’s a bit of a concern for me, even though we have the depth, is we’re missing a few players,” Boucher said. “We’ve lost one or two to the Proteas and we have one or two that are injured.
“That has hampered our squad, but with that comes opportunities for others and new faces can come to the party.
“We saw in the last game where Rivaldo Moonsamy and Andrea Agathangelou both got hundreds and hopefully others can follow by stepping into the big shoes that we’re missing.”
Apart from the Cobras blip, the Titans have beaten the VKB Knights and the bizhub Highveld Lions.
The Cobras, meanwhile, have twice lost to the Dolphins, including a thrilling final-ball defeat on Wednesday night, but beaten the other three sides they faced – the Titans, the Warriors and the Lions.
They will be desperate to bounce back in front of their home fans at PPC Newlands.
“It’s always nice to play down at Newlands,” Boucher adds. “We’ve been playing some good cricket and had two bad games, one which we won and one which we didn’t win.
“But it’s always difficult, as I mentioned a few games earlier, to come back from a holiday period, particularly as it is still the holiday season and playing three games on the trot. We won two out of the three that we played, so I can’t be too unhappy with that.
“Now we’re into the thick of things. We’ve had a bit of a break as well and our training has been good this week. So, we’re looking forward to it.”