JOHANNESBURG – Paarl Rocks captain Faf du Plessis is hoping his team’s 12th man will be the decisive factor in today’s Mzansi Super League clash at Boland Park against the Jozi Stars.
The Winelands franchise have enjoyed the best crowds of the competition so far, with the picturesque venue decked in purple for every home outing.
It wasn’t enough to get the Rocks over the line against the Tshwane Spartans last Sunday, but Du Plessis believes playing in front of such passionate home supporters certainly lifts his players.
“The fans have been amazing and again provided us with some great energy (on Sunday),” Du Plessis said.
“It was good fun. We are back in front of them on Friday and then we’ve got three games on the bounce away, so it’s important we win that last one here before heading on the road.”
Clear skies with a maximum temperature of 30° forecast for Paarl today. 🌞💜
The @paarlrocks take on the @msljozistars at Eurolux Boland Park at 17:30.
If you’re coming to the game, see below for all the details. #PaarlRocks #MSLT20 #PRvJS pic.twitter.com/dhUqNf5Y3H
— Paarl Rocks (@Paarl_Rocks) November 22, 2019
The Rocks will be favourites to pile more misery on the Stars, who are winless after four games.
Although the Rocks lost against the Spartans, they were still solid with the bat, especially new recruit James Vince.
It was only their fielding that let them down and there’s no doubt Justin Ontong - the fielding coach - has worked hard with his charges this week.
Du Plessis knows the importance of getting over the line today, particularly with the Rocks set to head off on a three-game away streak.
“It’s important that you try and bounce back quickly, try and rectify the mistakes you made,” Du Plessis said.
“It’s a big game for us on Friday to make sure we can turn that momentum around quickly. I find that in T20 cricket especially, once you get into a winning streak or a losing streak for that matter, you can either go up or you can go down.
“We will try and be as professional as possible to make sure we can get our momentum swing back on Friday.”
Faf du Plessis: We are back in front of (our home crowd) on Friday and then we’ve got three games on the bounce away, so it’s important we win that last one here before heading on the road. Photo: BackpagePix
The Rocks may possibly tweak their line-up for today with all-rounder Ferisco Adams set to return to the line-up for Kerwin Mungroo.
This could possibly open up a space for Sibonelo Makhanya.