DURBAN – The Durban Heat kissed their Mzansi Super League chances goodbye on Wednesday, as they watched the rain fall depressingly over their clash against the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants.
As it was, the elements probably saved them from yet another humbling defeat. The men from PE were ominously placed at 121 for two, and poised to climb into the final overs.
As the umpires called time on the match, David Miller was tasked with summing up the sentiments of the home dressing room.
“Look we have been a long way off the mark the whole competition,” Miller sighed. “We haven’t fired in a lot of areas and we can’t really find an explanation for it.”
That has been the ongoing message from the Heat. They have practised as well as they could, but it has not nearly come together on the field. There has been no place to hide for them, and they now have to finish the competition in the role of a spanner in the works.
“We want to play with a lot of pride over the next three games and finish with four wins out of our 10 matches in the competition,” Miller vowed.
It is certainly the least they can do, and it will give the rest of the competition the integrity it deserves.
Should the Heat finally win again, they will seriously dent the play-off chances for their victims.
They may well have a hand in deciding who hosts the final, even if they will play no part in that.
David Miller of the Durban Heat leaves the field after losing his wicket on Sunday. Photo: Shaun Roy/BackpagePix
“Whatever that does to the table isn’t anything that we are concerned about and we are just hoping for a full 40 overs this Friday,” Miller expanded, with a cursory mention of the notorious Durban weather around cricket season.
It hasn’t helped matters at all, especially as it only seems to fall on match days. Tuesday was a belter, and Thursday was similarly delightful. You can already guess what Friday afternoon might do.
The Jozi Stars are next on the radar for the Durban Heat, just a week after the same opponents tore into them at The Bullring.
That saw the Stars spark a three-game streak of bonus-point triumphs. They are now the form side in the competition, and have their sights set fair on doing the double on Durban.
The likes of Chris Gayle and Kagiso Rabada, as well as run machine Reeza Hendricks, will provide a significant challenge.
“They seem to be a side that is starting to peak at the right time which is a good sign for them, but we are going to regroup and focus hard on the match,” Miller maintained.
“All the teams are strong in this competition and we just want to try and play the best cricket we can,” he added.
Today’s match between the Heat and the Jozi Stars starts at 2pm, with coverage on SABC 3 from 1.45pm.